Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were
by Meum Cerebrum Nocet
Summary: He had taken their hearts and torn them into a million pieces and they weren't going to let him get away that easily. Oh no, they wanted revenge! [Sasusaku] [AU]
1. Prologue: A God Among Men

**-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _ **Summary:**_ _He had taken their hearts and torn them into a million pieces, and they weren't going to let him get away with it. Oh no, they wanted revenge! [Sasusaku]_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own Naruto or John Tucker Must Die._

 **-Prologue-**

 **-A God Among Men-**

 _I was fourteen when I realized I was invisible. It wasn't that people couldn't see me, well, maybe they couldn't…_

I slammed my locker door shut and turned to walk down the hall. The minute I was out in the rush of students, someone bumped into me, sending my books toppling to the ground. As I bent over to pick them up, someone tripped over me.

No one ever spoke to me. When I tried to talk in groups or in class, someone always talked over me. If, on a rare occasion I had my hand up, a teacher never called on me. Cars never stopped for me to cross the road; people never made room for me in a crowd.

… _You get what I mean._

 _It's not that I didn't try. It's just that I seemed to be able to take a back seat in the minds of my peers, which I don't get. I mean, I'm anything but ordinary in terms of my looks…_

I sighed as I stared at the reflection in the mirror before me. Wild pink hair stuck out in all directions, even after a half an hour of fighting a comb through it. My forehead was twice the size of the rest of my face and huge wide-rimmed glasses consumed what wasn't taken over by the forehead.

My hair was naturally pink, which I know seems impossible. So many people have told me time and time again that pink hair isn't natural. But it's some sort of combination between my mom's fiery red hair and my dad's platinum blonde hair. Put those two colours together and you got my bright pink hair.

I hated the way I looked with a passion. And even though I had outlandish, bright pink hair and a huge forehead, people still never saw me.

… _Of course when it came to love…_

I sat in math class, copying down the lecture the teacher was giving (in super-human speeds) as best I could. As I concentrated on getting everything down, I felt someone tap me on my shoulder. I turned around and saw a cute blond boy with a note in his hand.

I accepted the note with a smile and examined it closer. There was a heart on the front; my heart leapt.

"Pass it on," he whispered.

I turned back to the front and saw the beautiful blonde that sat in front of me.

… _Yeah, that sucked. In my sixteen, nearly seventeen, years on the planet not one boy had ever had any type of romantic interaction with me. We talked about school; we talked about sports; we even talked about the weather. But we never talked about anything romantic. It was like I repelled boys or something._

 _There was another thing working against me…_

I put the box labelled kitchen wares on the counter and turned towards the back door when I heard someone knocking. Standing in the doorway, plate in hand was an incredibly gorgeous guy. His dark brown locks were styled in a way that looked like he had just woken up, dressed and walked out of the house and his eyes were an enchanting emerald green.

I walked up to him as he began to talk.

"Hey, I'm Jiro. I live next door. My mom sent me over with these cookies or something…" he said, examining the plate in his hands.

"Thanks. We're new here. I mean duh, boxes and the fact that no one's probably seen us. Though I guess that doesn't necessarily mean we're new because people could just not have noticed us. Though that seems really sad. I mean how much of a wallflower do you have to be to not be noticed if you were living in the same house for like years-" I was interrupted from my ramblings by his next comment.

"Who is that?" he asked, pushing past me. I turned around to see a gorgeous, and I mean drop-dead beautiful, red head in jean short-shorts and a tight fuchsia halter-top.

… _My mom…_

The rosette turned around to reveal a blemish free face. "Hi," she said, flipping her hair behind her. She then bent down to retrieve some plates from the box I had set down earlier, giving the young teen a perfect view of her derrière. She stood back up, put the plates on one of the counters and then turned to the male at the door.

"I'm Michiko."

… _She's never had any trouble landing men. Keeping them, now that's another story. I used to keep track, but I found it too hard. She went through men like normal people changed their socks. Instead, I resorted to calling them all Saru…_

A man with curly brown hair and an old plaid robe opened the fridge door and retrieved the milk. He then turned to me, sitting on the island stool with a box of Corn Puffs in hand. Spotting me, he went beet red and began sputtering. Every single guy who had eaten breakfast with me had acted the same way. They were flustered and embarrassed and basically screamed that they had spent the night with my mother.

Why, oh why couldn't my mom date a guy who wasn't easily embarrassed?

I dug through the box and retrieved a handful of the circular cereal. "And a good morning to you too, Saru," I replied as I popped the cereal into my mouth. He looked confused at my words.

"Why'd you call me 'Saru'?" he questioned.

… _Because, eventually, that's what they all do. They all leave, most times in the dead of the night. They're all too cowardly to face my mother._

 _It's happened so many times that my mom's developed a very mature reaction…_

My mom stood at the island, scoping large amounts of cake frosting into her mouth. Tears ran down her face as she licked the spoon clean. I sat on the other side and winced every time she went back into the icing for more.

… _A quick therapy session, or seven, and then we'd pack up the car and flee to another town…_

I slammed the trunk closed and turned to the rosette standing in the doorway. "We're all packed," I said, motioning to the car, and then the moving truck on the driveway.

"Good," my mother said, a bag of cookies in her hand, "Let's get going then."

… _Being invisible does have its advantages. We move a lot and, having no friends, I don't have to face those awkward goodbyes…_

The car drove down the road and I looked back at the kids playing on the street. I waved at them but none waved back. I wasn't expecting them too. I bet they didn't even know I'd lived in that house for the past four months.

… _but enough about me. This story isn't even about me really. It's about the hottest guy in my newest school._

 _Uchiha Sasuke…_

The stands were filled with student's ready to cheer on the home team, the Sarutobi High Foxes. Students watched as the team's captain weaved between the other team's defenders, avoiding their guard every time.

He rushed up to the key and took off from the free throw line, sinking a slam-dunk into the basket, just like he always did.

… _Let's face it. He is the man. He's the captain of the basketball team, his family is loaded and he looks like he just stepped out of an Abercrombie catalogue. He's got everything. And I was going to be the girl who took it all away._

* * *

 _This is the story of Uchiha Sasuke's fall from a god among men, to an absolute nobody, and the girls who made it all happen._

* * *

 _To be continued…_

 _ **A/N:**_ _Saru means to leave or go away_


	2. Chapter 1: Play-ah Play-ah

**-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own Naruto or John Tucker Must Die._

 **-Chapter 1-**

 **-Play-ah Play-ah-**

* * *

 _Uchiha Sasuke had it all: looks, money, sports ability, and girls swooning over him at every given minute. But he didn't seem to be content with living with that. He had to have more and more._

* * *

 _I remember the first time I spoke to Uchiha Sasuke. I like to think I was calm and collected while I did it, my co-workers tell me otherwise…_

I was behind the counter, returning the dirty pitcher and glasses to the kitchen to be washed.

 _Did I mention I was a waitress at the local 'hot spot'? No? Well now I did._ _I had only been working here a month and a half, the exact amount of time we had lived in Konoha. It gave me something to do, other than sit around at home and be, well, friendless._

As I set down the tray, the manager came over and gave me my next table. She was a woman in her mid-thirties with dyed blonde hair and makeup that was caked on and made her look like a clown. Instead of making her look nice, the makeup just made her look ten years older.

 _I liked my job, but my manager was another story._

"Table six," she said.

 _I always hated how all she had to do was give you a number and you were expected to do whatever she said. I guess it made sense. I mean she was my boss. I sort of had to do what she said. It's just I always hated being bossed around. But that's not important._

I walked over to table six and realized who was occupying it. Uchiha Sasuke sat at the table, dressed in a navy dress shirt and tan khakis, smiling like he owned the place. It made me sick in more ways than one. I felt my stomach begin to do belly flops as I arrived. It wasn't like I liked him or anything, but he was an extremely attractive male and anyone would be slightly intimidated by having to talk to him. Especially when he was in his date attire.

"Hey," he said, looking at the door. I guessed he was waiting for someone to arrive; most likely whatever girl was lucky enough to be his date for the night.

"Yeah," I replied. Once I realized what had come out of my mouth, I began scrambling for a way to make it right. "I mean, no. I mean, you— umm— order?" I asked, making no sense at all. He turned from the door to look at me. Lifting one perfectly shaped eyebrow _(I bet he went to the salon for those),_ he looked ready to laugh at my rambling.

 _I swear his expression was 'WTF is wrong with this girl?' Just great! The school's god already thought I was a total loser! Just what I needed. Being invisible was so much better than being the weird girl. Hopefully he wouldn't remember me, wouldn't spread tales about me around school._

"I'll pass for now," he said. I nodded, and then left the table as quickly as I could. I wasn't about to hang around there any longer to leave any more of an impression on him. Unfortunately, in my haste, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, and I ran right into a fellow waiter in the process. The pitcher of water that she had been holding was poured right over my head as we collided and were sent spread eagle to the floor. I stayed on the ground for a few seconds, drenched in water, and prayed that he hadn't seen me.

 _I was so wrong. I had just blown everything._

 _What was I thinking anyways? It's not like I'd ever have a chance with him. A guy like that would already have a girlfriend, a prefect one at that…_

As I returned from the back room with a new change of clothes, I saw a brunette sitting across from Sasuke at the table.

 _Ryuu Tenten, sports queen, not to mention smart and totally academics oriented. She's the captain of the girl's soccer, lacrosse, tennis, and track teams. She also runs the school's newspaper, and the TV station. She's the school vice president (President goes to senior class-men and we're only juniors) and is always on the honour roll. Rumour says she already got accepted to Princeton, Yale, Harvard and even Oxford! She is crazy driven in whatever she does. From the little that I've seen she's very focused and a little scary intense._

The brunette glanced over the menu before her. As she read the selections she began to talk in French.

"Je ne sais pas quoi manger! Il y a beaucoup de choix!" she mused, her perfect accent rolling over the words and making them sound magical.

I walked over to take their order. As I approached the table, I heard Sasuke's silken voice say, "You're so sexy when you speak French."

"Merci beaucoup, Monsieur Uchiha. Tu es incroyablement sexy," she paused as she reached towards him to move a stray piece of hair from his eyes, "surtout avec ces cheveux." The moment the last syllable escaped her lips, Sasuke leaned in and captured the brunette's lips in a passionate kiss. I froze, a few steps from their table and just stood their, awkwardly watching them for a few seconds.

"Do—do you guys want a minute?" I asked, dumbly. When they didn't respond I walked away, feeling like a total idiot.

* * *

I walked out of the kitchen the next day to see Uchiha Sasuke sitting in the same chair as last night. He was a lot less formal that night, wearing a pair of blue jeans and a T-shirt with 'Foxes' in bright red letters instead of a collared shirt and nice pants.

 _Another date with Tenten?_

I went to take his order, praying that I wouldn't make a mistake in asking him what to order this time. I was really hoping to stay invisible, at least in the eyes of Sasuke. He had a girlfriend, not that I'd have a chance with him anyway, so the best I could hope for was to not be a totally weirdo in his eyes. I stopped when I saw who had just come in through the door and headed towards the Uchiha.

 _Whoa, two girlfriends?_

 _Tonight's lucky girl is Yamanaka Ino, head cheerleader. Need I say more? Shallow, superficial, short-skirt? Yeah, that's Ino. She was the epitome of your stereotypical cheerleader. She was catty and cruel, spreading vicious rumours about people who crossed her and leaving girls in utter devastation when she wanted to. She cared way more about her looks than how she did at school. Though she always looked flawless, which I was a little jealous of. But she was still that girl you think of when you think of cheerleaders. Way to give people the impression that cheerleaders don't have to be shallow! You're not helping the female population here!_

The blonde flicked her hair back as she fed the basketball star the latest school scandal. "And Jin was all like, 'Why don't we do the pyramid _before_ the tumble routine!'" the blonde said, flabbergasted at the fact that someone had suggested something other than the approved Ino routine.

 _I bet she can't even say flabbergasted!_

"'Pyramids before tumbling'?" Sasuke responded, like it was the most blood-curdling thing in the world.

 _Oh, what I wouldn't give for a guy who would go along with all the completely idiotic things I did or said._

I decided I'd had enough of the brainless chitchat shared between the two. I grabbed my pad and pencil and walked over to their table. Ino, who saw me coming _(maybe I'm not as invisible as I think I am)_ , picked up her menu. Before she even got it open, Sasuke was pulling it from her hand and placing it with his.

"Two green salads, dressing on the side, salmon for her and a rare steak for me," he said, not even turning my way.

 _So much for that theory!_

"I love it when you do that," Ino said, leaning in towards the Uchiha.

"I love doing that," the Uchiha responded, mimicking her actions. I rolled my eyes at their stupid game; little did I know what Ino's response would be.

"I love that you love that I love you doing that," she said.

 _Wow award the girl some brownie points for that one. It was so confusing that it almost made sense!_

I jotted down the last of their order and walked away, hoping that I hadn't lost too many brain cells standing there for so long. I had just rounded the corner when Sasuke began to speak again. "That top, looks so hot on you."

 _What a line._

"I bet it's even hotter off you."

 _GAG! I mean, they were in a public_ _family_ _restaurant!_

* * *

Finally, Friday night rolled around. It was my favourite night because I got off work early. I was walking out of the kitchen after having just given my order. One more table and I'd be home free. As the door shut behind me, an oh-so-familiar voice drifted my way.

"Never been here before, babe, so I hope they have good vegetarian." I looked up and almost wanted to scream. For the third night in a row, Sasuke sat at table six. Today he wore a shirt with some slogan like 'Save the trees!' or 'Animals are our friends!'

 _Ok, stop it already. Three girlfriends?_

I looked down at my watch and realized I only had two more minutes until my shift was over. I'd simply hide in the kitchen, not have to deal with Sasuke, and then head home for a weekend on the couch watching Netflix. I pushed on the door and was almost in when the 'God-of-men' spoke again.

"Oh no! Veal?" he spat, "I'm sorry, let's just- let's just go." I sighed. He was leaving. However, as he stood, he raised his voice so the whole restaurant could here. "If I wanted to torture animals, I'd go to a medical lab!"

"Hey," his date said, resting an arm on his bicep and pulling him back down, "Don't worry about it."

 _Ah, the final girl. Hyuuga Hinata, shy, reserved, sweet. Yeah, not the kind of girl you'd think would go out with Sasuke. In fact, when I first arrived at school, she was one of the only people to acknowledge my presence. Of course, it was just with a warm smile while I did that typical 'stand in class and introduce yourself thing' but it was still something. I couldn't believe that she was going out with someone like Sasuke. On top of her kindness to awkward new girls, Hinata absolutely loves animals, doesn't eat anything that comes from animals and is abnormally nice. Of course, she does have an amazing body. Maybe that's why he's dating her._

As Sasuke returned to the seat, he looked over at his date. She muttered something to him and before I knew it, they too were locked in a passionate kiss. Tired from that evening, I decided that going over there wouldn't earn me anything, so I handed in my apron for the evening and headed to the door. When I got there, I saw a girl with flowing red hair staring at the two.

 _My co-worker, Masumi, was the closest person I had to a friend. She was a freshman in college, studying to be a chef._

"I don't get it," I said to the redhead, "I mean these girls all seem so confident and cool. Can't they tell he's cheating on them?"

"He's a total operator," she responded, "he goes out with girls from different cliques so that they never actually talk to each other. Then, he tells them his dad won't let him date during basketball season and the-they'll ha-have to keep-keep it a se- se- SECRET!"

I took one look at her and realized that she had been through this all before. I sighed. Who would want to go out with a guy like that?

 _-To Be Continued-_


	3. Chapter 2: His Fatal Miscalculation

**-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own Naruto or John Tucker Must Die._

 **-Chapter 2-**

 **-His Fatal Miscalculation-**

* * *

 _Ryuu Tenten, Yamanaka Ino, and Hyuuga Hinata were three very different girls with one thing in common. They were all dating Uchiha Sasuke._

 _Sasuke was confident in his system for juggling girls, but even he couldn't anticipate the series of events that were about to unfold…_

* * *

A stream of girls, followed by Anko, one of the girls' gym teachers, walked into the gym. The girls were dressed in a combination of t-shirts, tank tops, shorts, and running shoes. It was your typical gym attire, accented with each girl's individual flare.

"Your other gym teacher is in the hospital so we are combining all first period gym classes," Anko spoke. A collective groan was emitted from the crowd. "I know, I know. You all hate each other. Suck it up princesses. It's only for a couple days. Once Takahashi-san is cleared from the hospital, we'll go back to our old gym schedules."

Slowly the girls trickled in and took their seats on the bleachers. The gym was divided in two by a large volleyball net. Along one wall were several large rolling containers with white volleyballs. Obviously, that day's class would involve volleyball.

"Okay girls," Anko spoke once everyone was assembled on the bleachers, "for today, we'll play several quick games of volleyball. I'll watch your form and give you pointers and we'll change teams after five points. Now, to start us off let's have, Ino, Tenten, Hinata, Mai, Rei, and… the new girl." Anko pointed right at me, indicating that I was the 'new girl' she wanted.

 _This can't be good. Three girls dating the same guy at the same time on the same team for a game in which you are supposed to hit a hard ball at each other. Best to stay at the back out of the way!_

We took our positions and Anko blew her whistle, signalling the start of the game. Tenten, and what I could only assume was one of her friends were up at the net with Hinata. Tenten's friend turned to the taller girl and asked something, though I didn't catch it.

Tenten turned to her friend and whispered, "It's on the DL. Seriously, don't go spreading it around, but... I'm dating, Uchiha Sasuke!" As the words left her mouth, a volleyball hit her head. Everyone turned to see Ino in the serving position.

"Sorry, it slipped," she said simply, a coy smile on her face. Tenten turned to glare at her, before returning to her position.

"All right," she said, bouncing from foot to foot, "I'm fine. Okay everybody, let's play!" She acted as if nothing had happened. The brunette turned to see when Ino was going to serve. Instead, she got a volleyball in the face!

 _Ouch! That's gotta hurt!_

Ino smiled smugly as the bun-clad brunette fell to the ground, more from surprise than from the force of the impact. Tenten stood and stormed over to Ino. "You know what, that was no accident!" She shoved Ino slightly to enforce her words.

"You're right!" Ino replied her coy smile plastered onto her face and her hands placed securely on her hips in a very traditional cheerleader intimidation pose. "It wasn't an accident. I thought that somebody needed to teach you a lesson about proper etiquette. You shouldn't go around spreading rumours that aren't true."

Tenten stared at the blonde, a what-the-hell-is-she-talking-about look displayed across her face. Seeing the brunette's facial expression, Ino attempted to clarify, "He's mine! Stay away from him!"

Sensing the building tension between the two girls, Hinata walked over to them and forced her way in between the two.

"Girl's," she said sweetly, "violence only begets more violence. No boy is worth fighting over!" She pried the two apart. Ino turned to the bin filled with volleyballs and picked one up.

"There's nothing to fight about! Uchiha Sasuke is mine!" Ino cried, throwing the ball into Tenten's gut. It was the spark that started the fire.

"I'm dating Uchiha Sasuke!" Hinata's quiet voice changed into a loud shout that echoed throughout the gym. The girls started fighting, throwing balls at each other as well as other typical catfight moves. Before I knew it, someone had grabbed a bag full of volleyballs that had been lying beside the bins and they were throwing it at each other. I tried to avoid the stray balls, but my luck wouldn't see to it.

Tenten, Miss. Amazing Sports Goddess, chucked a ball at Ino, who ducked. It nailed me right in the nose. As I fell to the floor, I heard some girl exclaim, "She knocked her out!"

 _Great! Just what I needed, someone to think I was a wimp._

Anko blew her whistle, trying to stop the fight. She stood in between the three but this was no fight they were going to end soon. They continued throwing balls, one even hitting the coach. I couldn't believe it! This was getting out of hand. I had to do something. So I joined in the fight, trying to stop them of course.

The next thing I knew, someone was shoving the volleyball cart into us and we all, including Anko, toppled to the floor. Oh, but being on the floor didn't mean a thing. Nope, those three kept going at each other.

 _And to think, I thought Hinata was kind and sweet. Guess you can't judge someone based on personal experience._

I grabbed Anko's whistle and blew into it, hard. There was no way this fight would last any longer. The whistle worked its magic, shutting the feuding three up.

"This bastard is cheating on you, and instead of taking it out on his lying ass, you're beating the shit out of each other?" I yelled, taking advantage of the silence. To tell you the truth, I was utterly shocked at my vocalness. If only I had chosen a moment when a teacher wasn't present.

"Language!" Anko yelled as she sat up. When she was on her feet, she really let her emotions go and, boy was she mad. She was seething, her teeth clenched in a tight grimace and a vein in her forehead was protruding slightly. If it was humanly possible, I bet she even would have had steam flowing out of her ears.

"Detention!" she yelled, "You, you, you and you!" She pointed at the four of us still on the floor. I was utterly shocked, a month at my new school and already I had detention.

 _This was not looking like a positive in the whole cosmic universe, karma, whatnot. I mean in trouble and not even a month in to school, can you say bad sign?_

* * *

 _Always the keener, and never one to get into trouble (well after the whole gym incident, but that wasn't really my fault!), I arrived at detention extra early just to be sure._

I walked smoothly into the room and took a seat at one of several tables scattered throughout the classroom, each currently empty. I picked the table furthest from the door, hoping that the distance would dissuade anyone from coming to sit beside me. I pulled out my books and began working away at my homework.

I was in the middle of a really difficult trigonometry question when I heard someone behind me scoff. I turned to see who it was. Tenten stood behind me, a hand cocked on her hip and an annoyed expression on her face.

"You came early to detention?" she asked incredulously before taking a seat at one of the computer desks that lined the window filled wall. As she was sitting down, Hinata and Ino walked in. They both took seats, opposite each other, at the table across from me.

The teacher in charge of detention rose from his spot at a table on the other side of the room. "Detention has begun. No talking," he instructed before walking out of the room.

 _Some supervisor. He just left us alone!_

"So," Ino said from her spot at the table, "I talked to Sasuke." She flipped her hair in a confident way, obviously trying to intimidate the other girls, make them back down from their false claims of dating Sasuke.

"Oh did you now?" Tenten asked, her fingers flying across the keyboard. She didn't look up from what she was doing, obviously not falling victim to Ino's intimidation tactic.

"Yeah, he said that you were jealous because we share something special. Something that we didn't have to label because it's-" but Ino never got to finish her little victory rant.

"-Because it's our unspoken bond, and I just love how secure you are?" Hinata interrupted. She had been busy working away on some assignment or the other, much like I had, but was drawn in by the apparent familiarity of Sasuke's words as relayed by Ino.

Tenten had turned around now, a shock-and-awe look on her face. "And it hurts me to hear you question it?" she added. A look of utter surprise and disgust crossed Ino's face as she too clued in on what was gong on.

"Because you're the only girl for me?!" the three yelled together.

* * *

 _Guess the cat's outta the bag now. What are you going to do girls?_

* * *

 _-To Be Continued-_


	4. Chapter 3: Uchiha Sasuke Must Die

**-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I do not own Naruto or John Tucker Must Die._

 **-Chapter 3-**

 **-Uchiha. Sasuke. Must. Die-**

* * *

 _Uchiha Sasuke had no idea that a combining of gym classes would lead to the three girls he was dating finding out about each other. But now that the cat is out of the bag, the girls are ready to either kill each other, or find a way to get back at him. Whichever comes first._

* * *

The minute they had uttered those few words in unison, they began to yell at each other.

 _Like that's going to help anything._

 _Normally, I would have just ignored their yelling, having better things to do with my life, but this was one of those times when ignoring something is easier said than done. I mean their shrieks were so loud I could barely concentrate on my math. And so, for once in my life, I decided to let people know I was in the room._

"SHUT UP!" My voice rang through the classroom. For the second time that day I had been able to get those three to stop fighting. I smiled in accomplishment before I felt their eyes on me. They all looked really pissed, probably all thinking the same thing. 'How dare that insignificant girl shut up our pointless yelling?'

As they stared at me, I felt the confidence slowly melting away.

"What did you just say?" Ino asked, her voice dripping with the poison cheerleaders were famous for. It was that very tone that sent girls heading for the hills, tears streaming down their faces.

"No-nothing." I replied in a whisper before returning to the polynomial equation before me.

"No, I don't think it was nothing. What? Do you think you're so much better than us, because we let a guy play us?" Tenten asked her voice full of accusation.

 _Great, just what I needed. She had taken my need for peace and quiet and warped it into something else._ _What an awesome place Konoha was shaping up to be! (Not!)_

"No. Of course not. How could you have known? It's just that, yelling at each other isn't going to solve anything. Guys like Sasuke are total operators. He comes up with excuse after excuse as to why you barely ever get to see him and why he never takes you places with his friends. He uses pet names like babe, or sexy, or hunny, not out of affection but so he won't mess up your names. Also, he always about you 'having something special' but never once has he talked about you 'having a relationship'."

I was surprised at myself. The only time I had ever said that much in my life at one time was when I was running for class president in Elementary school, before I realized how invisible I was.

"Holy shit!" Ino cursed.

"You're dating him too!" Hinata asked incredulously.

I was taken aback. "No! No. Not at all. It's just, I've had experience with guys like him." I waved my hands in front of my face to emphasize that I wasn't dating Sasuke.

"Ok, so if yelling isn't going to solve anything, then what do you propose we do?" Tenten asked, scooting closer to me. I thought for a minute. Her question had completely surprised me. It had been years since someone other than my mother asked me for advice.

Finally I spoke. "Guys like him date more than one girl at a time because it makes them feel manlier. If you want to get back at him, you've got to attack his manliness."

"How? He's got girls _and guys_ begging on their hands and knees to be seen with him even for a few seconds. He's totally confident in his manhood. There's no way we could take that away," Hinata inquired.

"You'd be surprised," I said under my breath. To them I replied, "Give me a day. I'll think of something."

 _It may have been an unorthodox way to make friends (or whatever you would classify the relationship shared between three girls [all dating the same guy] who wanted to get back at said guy and the girl they turned to for a plan), but I wasn't complaining. At least I wasn't invisible anymore._

* * *

I had been up half the night, pouring over romance novels and journals my mother kept of her high school days.

 _She hadn't changed much since then and looking through journals was far less embarrassing than talking to her, face to face, even if her journals kept record of how many guys she has slept with._

I found an idea for the girls and me to try in one of the multitude of teen romance novels I had accumulated over the years. Pulling out a coil notebook, I quickly recorded the basics of the plan before falling asleep.

* * *

I walked into school the next morning with a renewed sense of confidence.

 _Who knew friends could make you feel 1 000 times more confident about yourself?_

I cleared the front entrance and was immediately met with the smiling face of an energetic blonde boy, whose name I couldn't remember.

 _Wow, I guess all I needed to beat the invisibility was some confidence…_

"Sakura right?" he asked, motioning to me.

 _Yeah, like he'd be asking a total stranger if the girl on the other side of the front courtyard was Sakura. The motioning was unneeded_.

I nodded anyway.

 _I_ _might seem cynical and rude to you but I could never act like that to anyone in real life._

"Hey! I'm Uzumaki Naruto!"

 _Right, that was his name. He was in my chemistry class and, despite sitting behind him for nearly a month, we still hadn't had an actual conversation before that moment._

"I saw you in chem the other day 'nd you looked like you knew 'bout what was goin' on and I was wonderin' if..."

"Naruto! Leave the poor girl alone. She's not interested in you, trust me!" Ino called as she made her way towards us.

"Why can't I innocently ask a girl for some help with schoolwork without you assuming I like her?" he inquired, a sad puppy-dog expression crossing his face to help further his point of pure innocence.

"Because I've known you too long," she muttered under her breath, loud enough for only me to hear it, "just go! Sasuke is looking for you!" I couldn't help but notice that when she had mentioned his name her face dropped some.

"Whateve'. See you in chem Sakura!" Naruto called as he headed off towards the gym.

"Come. Tenten wants to meet and discuss your plan," Ino said as she discreetly led me towards the audiovisual lab.

 _We may be connected as we attempted to get even with Sasuke, but that didn't mean that we could abandon all the rules of cliques, especially for my plan. We couldn't appear to know each other coming from two totally different cliques._

* * *

Sarutobi High School's audiovisual lab was amazing! And that was a gross understatement. There were large plasma televisions hanging on the walls. Computers with professional editing equipment and cameras that looked like they belonged in some Hollywood production studio filled every possible free space. A few students sat at the computer desks. They didn't look up when we walked in, which hurt a little.

 _And here I thought I was getting over my invisibility!_

Standing in the middle of the room was none other than Ryuu Tenten, ruler of all those who stepped foot in the door, her kingdom, so to speak.

"Ok Haruno, let's see what you've got planned for Uchiha Sasuke." As she said his name, a picture of him, probably from the yearbook, appeared on the TV behind her. Over it was a large red circle with a cross through it, like the ones that read no parking or no smoking.

I was a little taken aback by the fact that she knew my last name, but I quickly got over it, taking the chair Ino had offered me.

"Well, I was thinking that, with his high-and-mighty act, the best way to get revenge on him would be to knock him off his pedestal. He cheated on you, and you should do something to hurt him just like he did you!"

 _It had been sooooo long since anyone had paid me any attention. And damn! Did it ever feel good!_

I was about to continue by asking them for information on Sasuke that would help shed light on his weakness when I took in their faces. All were wearing similar expression to the one Ino had been wearing when she mentioned Sasuke to Naruto.

"What's wrong?" I asked, the enthusiasm draining from my voice. Hinata was the first to speak.

"Well, It's about Sasuke. I guess, when we went to go talk to him yesterday about the gym incident, he figured that we were catching on so..."

"He dumped our asses!" Ino finished for Hinata.

 _Great, just what I needed! Complications! I had planned on getting them to talk him into doing stupid things that would humiliate him (like posing for what he thought was a harmless modeling job but really was an add for some STI [like what happened to Joey on that one episode from friends]), but if Sasuke had dumped them, then my plan wouldn't work. Why would he trust someone he'd just broken up with?_

 _GAH! Why can't things just work smoothly when you need them to?_

"Wait a minute," Tenten began, her voice growing in enthusiasm "this might actually be helpful though. Think about it. Sasuke's only dumped three out of the four of us. That means that we can use you," she turned to look at me and I couldn't help but start shaking nervously, "to get back at him!"

I turned to Ino, hoping for some help, but found none. Her eyes had started to shine and the look on her face was nothing but plotting and pure elation. "Yeah, with our expertise, we can make you into the prefect girl! We all know what Sasuke likes. We'll build you up, make you irresistible..."

By now Hinata had caught on and I had no hope left, "And then, just as he starts to fall for you, we can rip it out from under him! YES!"

"It's not exactly a taste of his own medicine, but hell, it'll make him feel as shitty as we do right now!" Ino exclaimed.

 _And like that, the great plan to de-immortalize Uchiha Sasuke began._

 _Me and my big mouth!_

* * *

We left the audio-visual lab in waves, not wanting to alert anyone to our collusion. First, Ino left, trying to appear grossed out and like she'd walked through a spider web and gotten something on her skin. She powerwalked away, her round hips rocking back and forth as she went, headed for the gymnasium and the rest of her clique. Then Hinata left, pretending to stuff flyers into her bag; her cover story was that she'd visited the lab to try and get some protest posters copied and posted.

I watched as Hinata made her way down the hallway, posting her supposed posters on lockers. As she moved, I noticed that Naruto was standing a few feet down from her, at his locker pulling out books and binders. When Hinata drew level with him, Naruto looked up and smiled warmly at Hinata. Almost as if she could feel my eyes on her Hinata turned back in my direction, her face absolutely beat red.

 _Interesting…_

 _-To Be Continued-_


	5. Chapter 4: Laying the Trap

**-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own any recognizable content._

 **-Chapter 4-**

 **-Laying the Trap-**

* * *

 _When I agreed to help Tenten, Ino, and Hinata get revenge on their two- (or was it three) timing boyfriend I hadn't meant to be given a place of honour in the plot to bring him down. Me and my big mouth!_

 _The plot to get revenge on Uchiha Sasuke began that very next day…_

* * *

I walked into school, my face buried comfortingly in my phone. If I moved throughout the student population with my attention solely on the online world located on my phone and not the real-life world, the fact that I was, as always, completely alone wasn't as hit-you-in-the-face apparent. Online, I had friends, and people to talk to, and hilarious tweets to laugh at like someone sharing a joke with me. It all made me feel less alone against the world.

"Earth to pink hair!" a slightly familiar voice called.

 _Now, walking around with you phone permanently in front of your face does limit one's people-watching ability, but I was 90% sure there wasn't anyone else with pink hair at the school._

I looked up from my phone and was startled by the fact that several groups of boys and girls were looking at me out of the sides of their eyes, trying, and mostly failing, to observe me inconspicuously. Then, once they'd gotten a good long look, they would turn to their friends and not-so-subtly begin talking about me. At the sight, my heart sunk.

 _Do I have a giant booger? Did I forget my pants? Am I pulling a superman and wearing my underwear on the outside? WHY ARE THEY STARING?_

I quickly did a mental scan, followed by an as inconspicuously as possible physical scan of my being and, finding that I was exactly the same as always, became instantly confused. No one had ever stared at me, let alone almost openly whispered about me. What could have possibly inspired this behaviour in my fellow classmates?

"Oi, Pinky! Over here!" the same voice as before called out again. Remembering why I'd looked up from my phone in the first place I began searching out the source of the voice. It was easier said than done as all the whispering going on around me kept distracting my self-conscious brain. Finally, I spotted a familiar face in the crowd and something in my brain clicked.

Standing alone, off to one side of the crowd, and leaning coolly against a pillar was Tenten. She had a smug, accomplished smile on her face that caused my stomach to contract.

 _A smile like that is definitely plotting. She's been up to something. Hopefully it isn't going to be too painful!_

A little hesitantly, I walked over to Tenten. I didn't really want to figure out the source of her smile, so I didn't rush over. But, on top of that, I wasn't sure if being seen together in such a public forum would be smart. Our association could give away our plot. However, Tenten had called out to me first and she definitely seemed more experienced with all of this than I was.

 _Best to just follow along. People don't get as hurt when they do what the crazy person asks._

"You are quite the talk of the town, little miss pink. Definitely the biggest story here," Tenten spoke, with a sly smile on her face that really put me on edge. "Care to do an interview? The school would definitely be interested in an in-depth exposé. I'm free now, if you are?"

Before I could respond, or even give the brunette a what-the-fuck-is-wrong-with-you look, she'd grabbed my hand and pulled me along after her.

 _This had better not end up with me missing a kidney or something!_

* * *

Tenten pulled me along behind her in the direction of the media center. People all throughout the hallways whispered and stared, though this time I was pretty sure it was because of the strangeness of the sight. I really didn't want to be interviewed, and so I wasn't exactly helping Tenten move me throughout the hallways.

Finally, we arrived at the media center. Instead of depositing me in one of the cubicles that lined the walls, she pulled me through into the same back room that we'd been plotting in only the day before. Sitting in the chairs was a bored-looking Ino and an anxious Hinata.

 _Okay! Breath! No interview! It was all a ruse to get us together without raising any suspicions! Phew! Now, onto why all those people were talking about me!_

Tenten deposited me near a chair, which I took as a sign that she wanted me to take it. Hesitantly, I sat down, trying to catch the eye of either Ino or Hinata to try and figure out what was going on, but neither looked in my direction.

Having deposited me, Tenten confidently strode in front of the three of us. She stood still for a few seconds, surveying us. A smug, proud smile on her face. I was a little on edge, wanting to know what was going on and why we were meeting, but I didn't want to stir the pot.

 _If I'm being completely honest, and I always try to be completely honest when talking to others and myself in my head, Tenten's intensity scared me a little. Best to just act like a shy mouse._

Ino, it seemed, didn't have the same qualms about stirring the pot. "Okay!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with annoyance. "You got us all here. And at a god awful early time. Out with it!" The blonde then slouched down in her chair, clearly expressing her boredom at the events.

"Well," Tenten spoke, clearly a little shaken by Ino's rude outburst but trying not to let it show. "I thought we should have a quick check in. It's been almost 24 hours since we developed our plan to bring down Sasuke and I think we've made some pretty excellent progress."

 _Progress? What is she talking about? I have had zero interactions with Sasuke. I haven't even been in his vicinity in about a week. How is any of this progress?_

"We'd better be getting somewhere. I had to pull some major influencer points to get it done. Do you know how hard it is to turn a total nobody into the talk of the school in a good way? I can spread a rumour, a juicy, rep-ruining one with the snap of my fingers, but to do it to build a rep. That is no easy task." Ino spoke, her nose buried in her phone.

And then it clicked.

"Everyone is talking about me because you've spread rumours? What had you said? Why would you do this? What?" I jumped out of my chair and began pacing throughout the seated girls as I rambled on.

It was Hinata, probably the most compassionate of the group, who leapt up from her chair and grabbed me by the shoulders. The action immediately halted my progress and the suddenness of it stopped my rambling mouth.

"If Sasuke will even consider going out with you, you can not be an insignificant nobody. You have to be known for something, have a reputation. Uchiha Sasuke has never gone out with a nobody and he certainty won't be changing his tune any time soon. So, you needed a reputation and you weren't going to provide one," Ino spoke nonchalantly.

"Ino didn't say anything bad about you. After all, a salacious rumour won't help us. All she said was that you were the most popular girl at your last school, the queen b, as it were and that you'd come to our school to lay low after a Mean Girls like fiasco at your old school," Tenten said. As she did, she typed into a computer and brought up a complicated diagram. I wasn't sure what most of it said, but I managed to puzzle out that this all began with 'Make Sakura Popular' and ended with 'Destroy Sasuke.'

 _A little heads up on what the plan is would be nice! Especially when it's something about me!_

I just stood staring at the three girls seated before me. Once Hinata had been assured that I was no longer freaking out, she had returned to her seat. Bad idea.

 _Now, normally my inner thoughts are kept to myself, but on the rare occasion…_

"Seriously!" I exclaimed, "You start a completely false rumour about me and don't even tell me that you are doing it? What if someone approached me about it? I could have blown everything!"

My outburst had successfully silenced the three girls before me. Apparently, none of them were exceptionally good team players and had gone about this first step of Tenten's plan individually. But, I had successfully rebuked them and made them think about their actions. Their silence also worked as a balm on me and when I spoke next, it was with a much calmer tone.

"Sasuke had been breaking hearts for years most likely. He's an expert at manipulating girls. If we are to have any chance at taking him down, we need to work together. Only with our combined skillsets will we be successful!" The other three nodded their agreement to my statement.

 _That's right! I'm correct! Bow down to me!_

 _Wow, power trip! Back to normal now and I don't need anyone to bow, as awesome as that would be!_

Feeling better about the situation, I returned to me seat and focused my attention back on Tenten. Somehow, and I'm not quite sure how, she'd become the de facto leader of our little group.

 _Though I'm not sure how well Ino is taking that fact. She hasn't looked up from her phone since we've got here…_

Tenten looked momentarily dazed, still slightly stunned by the fact that a nobody had redressed her. However, she quickly recovered and a plotting smile once more graced her face.

"Right. Now that people are talking about you, we need to make absolutely sure that our rumours are making their way back to Sasuke, and through a credible enough source that he believes them." Tenten focused on the door in and out of our little lair.

As soon as she did, it opened. I jumped a little at the coincidence of it and my heart tried to escape from my chest. A quick survey of Hinata and Ino told me they were just as surprised as I was.

 _As least I wasn't the only one in the dark this time!_

Walking through the door was a tall male. He had long brown hair tied into a loose ponytail. Somehow the look came off as neither hipster nor feminine, but very masculine. He had light eyes, almost the exact same as Hinata's, but where hers were warm and welcoming, the mystery man's were harsh and cold.

"Neji here has agreed to help us, going to places where we can't, like the boy's locker room. Also, I find that if a rumour comes from a male and not a female, a fellow male will be more likely to believe it. I'm not going to get into the misogynistic issues with that." Tenten smiled warmly at Neji and, though I have no proof, it looked like his eyes softened just the smallest bit.

Neji nodded in response to Tenten's words. I thought he would stay, sit down and join in our planning powwow. Instead, as soon as he'd been introduced, he turned on his heel and left the room.

 _Well, he sure is a little strange…_

"As well as Neji," Tenten continued as soon as the door clicked shut, "I was hoping you, Ino, and you, Hinata, could make sure that Sasuke's friends Shikamaru and Naruto know the rumour and pass it along to him." The two nodded, and then Ino suddenly stood.

"Well, this seems pretty wrapped up," the blonde spoke, though that fact wasn't readily obvious, "and I've got cheer practice in ten so, see ya! I'll talk to Shika today and report back." Ino then grabbed up her oversized designer purse and sashayed out of the room.

* * *

 _Hopefully we can work through our own issues and work together to take down the playboy Uchiha Sasuke._

* * *

 _To be continued_


	6. Chapter 5: Let's Go to the Mall

**-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own any recognizable content._

 **-Chapter Five-**

 **-Let's Go to the Mall-**

* * *

 _The girls got the plan to destroy a man off to a quick start by spreading blatantly false lies about my popularity level at my previous school. And without telling me a single thing about it! Which is fantastic! I wonder what else they'll decide without telling me?_

* * *

 _So, going through a school day in which everyone is talking about you, but still no one is talking to you sucks. It's like a whole new kind of hell…_

By the time I walked into Chemistry class that day, my last period of the day, I was about to start jumping up and down, screaming, and pulling my hair out. I felt like some sort of zoo animal, with everyone staring, whispering, and some super not subtle pointing. And, being the previously invisible person, I didn't have any friends to talk to or share the gawking with. My only saving grace was my small earbuds that allowed me to loose the world by listening to a good song.

I walked into the chemistry lab, my rock music blaring, and took a spot at my normal bench. Since I'd arrived in the middle of the year, there hadn't been a person left to be my lab partner and I usually ended up filling in for absent students or working on my own. So, when I settled into my bench, I was once again (or maybe the correct phrasing is still) alone in a crowd of people talking about me.

"Ah, I love Cheap Trick!" a voice called.

 _At least, I think those were the words. My music was very loud._

Hesitantly, I pulled out one earbud and looked at where I thought the voice was coming from. Standing at the end of my lab bench, a large and slightly goofy smile on his face, and motioning to the song still emanating from my earbud, was the blonde boy I was pretty sure was named Naruto. He'd, for lack of a better word, accosted me in the hallway yesterday, but we hadn't spoken since.

"I'm sorry," I said, for lack of a better thing to say. I was never very good at the conversational arts and didn't have a great response on hand for his words.

 _Plus, I still wasn't sure that he'd actually said what he said. I really shouldn't listen to my music that loudly. It will probably destroy my eardrums too._

"I said, I love Cheap Trick. You know, the song," Naruto _(I think that was his name)_ continued to point at my ear bud and smile that goofy smile.

 _Great, he thinks I'm an idiot because I might have misheard him. Can I go back to being talked about but not talked to? This is so much more embarrassing!_

"Oh, yeah," I sputtered before taking a breath, "they're really awesome. Great beats and fun lyrics. My mom always says they aren't a band you can just hum too." I punctuated my sentence by returning Naruto's smile, though I hoped mine was more on the warmer side and less on the goofy one.

 _This was my first conversation not about Sasuke since I became the most talked about person at this school. I was not about to ruin this opportunity! Who knew when I'd get another opportunity like this again!_

"Definitely," Naruto responded, sliding around the lab bench and coming to sit beside me. We lapsed into easy conversation over the various merits and compositions of different Cheap Trick songs. When the slightly hapless Chemistry teacher began the lesson for the day, he made no comment about Naruto's change in seating. For his part, Naruto didn't move away and spent the whole of the class as, essentially, my lab partner.

 _Maybe things are looking up! Maybe I've made an actual friend!_

* * *

When the final bell rang for the day, I was in a much better mood than I'd been a few hours before. I walked to my locker and changed around my things with a slight spring in my step. People around me still chatted about me, but it was by far less annoying.

As I walked out of the school, still buoyed from my interactions with Naruto, I'd let my guard down. I was unsuspecting of being ambushed so, when I was, it was quite the shock to the system. The ambush came in the form of Yamanaka Ino driving up the front driveway of the school in a shiny black convertible, Hyuuga Hinata and Ryuu Tenten sitting in the passenger and back seats.

"Get in loser! We're going shopping!" Ino called from her position behind the wheel. She had a sly, almost proud smile on her face, clearly indicating her own enjoyment of her reference.

 _Way to rip off Mean Girls! Don't you love original ideas? Okay, that was a little harsh. Maybe I'm taking my frustration at falling for that classic trope of speaking aloud your hope for continued success in the face of countless failures. As they say, never let the Universe know your plans._

A little reluctantly, I got into the car, taking my seat beside Tenten. As soon as my door clicked shut, Ino took off. Both Tenten and I, and I can only assume Hinata as well, were thrown to the back of our seats.

* * *

 _Have I ever told you that I hate the mall? Well, I do. The mall is probably the worst place on earth. It is always full of people, like even during times when you don't think it should be, like 11 am on a Tuesday._

"Are you fucking kidding me!" Ino screamed to the ether as she cranked the wheel and basically drifted her convertible around a corner. We'd been circling around the parking lot for close to five minutes and the closest we'd gotten to finding a spot was one that was occupied by a smart car.

"On your right!" Hinata shouted out, the same fury I'd witnessed during our volleyball battle was bubbling up in the normally peace-filled girl.

 _Malls make you crazy. What can I say?_

Ino quickly spotted the opening that Hinata had and, with quite a few jerky movements that sent Tenten and I into each other. It felt a little like rally driving and I made a mental note to never drive with Ino again. Then, finally, with one last screeching movement, we slid into what might have been the last spot in the whole entire lot.

Once parked, Ino quickly undid her seatbelt and bounced out of her car. She then turned elegantly on her heel and beamed warmly at us, all traces of her previous annoyance, and anger absolutely gone.

 _That girl is scary._

A little shakily, the rest of us got out of Ino's car and began walking towards the mall entrance. I'd been shopping before, loads of times, but never with a group of girlfriends, or whatever the four of us could be considered. I was excited to finally have someone to ask their opinion on my selections, and it almost overrode my absolute dislike for the mall. I was also a little worried about the intensity with which Ino was walking; that could not mean anything good for me.

"Okay, pinky. You're about to be big and you'll need a wardrobe to match. What you've got now won't do. If you're going to catch Sasuke's eye you need to be a trendsetter, not a trend follower. Luckily for you, I am an excellent shopper." Ino then grabbed my hand and began pulling me through the mall.

 _I was getting a little tired of being dragged every which way. Use your words people! I will follow you if you ask, and I'll probably be more willing to boot!_

* * *

The day passed in a blur of colourful clothes and fabrics. Ino just kept throwing different options at me, most of which I would never be caught dead in. They were garish, with loud colours and overbearing patterns, things like neon green or florals that reminded me of those tacky Hawaiian shirts. Ino, however, thought they would be the latest trends.

 _Maybe Miss Cheerleader snake queen is actually trying to humiliate me. I mean, who would ever want to wear things like these? How can I know if she's really trying to help me?_

Despite my reservations, I tried on everything Ino picked for me and followed her lead when she either happily applauded outfits and pieces or derided and angrily admonished me for picking clashing items or those that didn't fit. Never mind the fact that it had been she who had chosen everything and put it together for me.

Finally, Ino seemed satisfied with her work and declared my new look complete. They were mostly pieces that I would never have picked out for myself, but under the hostile yet expert guiding of the high-strung blonde, I had to say I was mildly impressed. While at times I had doubted Ino and her sense of style, in the end she'd picked out things that I'd seen a famous celebrity don and had secretly wanted to wear for myself.

Ino, with the help of her wealthy high-powered lawyer father's credit card paid for everything. It made me feel a little awkward and I made a mental promise to myself to pay Ino back, even if it meant taking on extra-shifts at the restaurant.

 _They had all better be worth it! I've never had such expensive friends. If you could even call us that. Ino's all kinds of high-and-mighty so I'm not sure she'd ever consider us friends. Gah! It's all so confusing!_

As soon as my new wardrobe was paid for, Ino pulled out a particularly trendy blouse with a fun floral print and a pair of green pants that matched the green tone in the shirt and commanded me to change.

"You can't spend another minute in those rags," she spoke with disgust motioning to my simple blue jeans and peach t-shirt combo. "You never know when Sasuke might see you and the things you're wearing are definitely not queen b outfits!" The blonde then pushed me towards a bathroom, against my protests. I just wanted to go home!

 _This is so not worth it!_

I changed as quickly as I could. Some irrational, or maybe it was rational, part of me was worried that the three of them would realise that I was never going to be the person they needed me to be and leave me. At the mall. Twenty miles from my house. In a town I still was trying to figure my way around.

Thankfully, when I came out, the girls were still there. Unthankfully, they were looking off down a hallway and whispering to each other. A conspiratorial air settled over the trio and I definitely didn't like it. Whispering amongst themselves had yet to mean something good for me.

Hinata was the first to see me and she quickly hurried over to where I was standing. "Okay, show time. You and Ino are going to walk up to him. Act casual. Do not act too interested. He's used to girls throwing themselves at him so if you act disinterested that should peak his interest."

 _What is this crazy girl saying? What is happening? Who are Ino and I talking to? What?!_

I stood rooted in place, utterly confused about what was going on. It wasn't until Ino walked up to me, looped her arm through mine and began pulling me with her that I was able to move my legs.

And then, as we rounded the corner, Hinata's words clicked and started making sense.

Standing down the hallway in the direction the girls had been looking earlier, was Uchiha Sasuke and another tall boy with long brown hair. Hinata wanted me to talk to Sasuke. They wanted to test out the rumour about my fake history and reputation, as well as the new look Ino had constructed for me.

 _I'm so not ready for this!_

I tried to put on the breaks, but Ino was having none of it. With a fake sugary smile plastered on her face and an intense determined look in her eyes, she drug me down the hallway towards the two attractive males standing in line at a hot pretzel kiosk.

 _Man, that girl is strong! Who knew cheerleading was such a strength builder?_

"Sasuke! Shikamaru! Fancy seeing you here!" Ino exclaimed. Her tone was obviously not naturally sweet, but the two boys didn't seem to notice. I suspected that Ino's false tone was an attempt to conceal the fact that she had known this was going to happen. She pulled me up beside the two boys, ignoring the disgruntled remarks of the people in line who thought we were butting in.

"Ino, you're looking great," Sasuke responded flirtatiously. A quick flash of pain showed on Ino's face before she could repress it. They had broken up and yet Sasuke continued to flirt with her. Ino flashed Sasuke a smile in response then turned to his friend.

"How are you, Shika-kun? The team's been playing really good this year and I can't help but think you've been a big part of that." Ino shamelessly flirted. I had to admit, I was a little impressed by her.

 _You go girl! He breaks your heart and still thinks he can flirt with you? Oh no! You show him and flirt with his friend right in front of him._

A quick glance at Sasuke showed me that Ino's little action had annoyed him. I was trying not to look at Sasuke, as much as I wanted to study his reactions to Ino. Hinata had told me to appear disinterested and unabashed staring, no matter the reason, didn't exactly say uninterested.

"So, Ino," Sasuke spoke loudly, trying to get Ino's attention back on him "are you going to introduce us to your friend?" I tensed a little at his words. No longer was I simply an observer. I was now a full and complete focus.

Ino turned back to look at Sasuke with an exaggerated effort. It was almost like she'd glued her attention to Shikamaru and had to peel it away to focus back on Sasuke.

"This is Sakura. She's a new transfer from another city." Ino then took a purposeful step towards Sasuke, letting him know that what she was going to say next was important information. "I've heard that not a single boy at her old school was considered good enough to date her and so she only dated college guys. From what she's told me, it seems that this school might be the same."

With that Ino pulled me away from the boys.

For what felt like the hundredth time that day, I was utterly confused. Ino had spent several hours picking out my outfit to test out on Sasuke and then, when we got the opportunity, I didn't get to say a word to him and only stood near him for a few minutes.

 _Why?_

"Umm, Ino," I spoke, a little hesitant. She didn't acknowledge my words and just continued to drag me through the mall.

 _How rude!_

"Groundwork laid," Ino called as we drew back in range of Hinata and Tenten. "I'll call Shikamaru tonight and see what Sasuke said about her. Now, I can't risk being seen with you three a minute longer. Let's bounce." Ino then turned on her heel and began walking out of the mall.

I was still confused but decided it would be best for my mental health if I let all my questions and concerns go and just follow along with whatever the three other girls needed me to do like a mindless zombie. It would probably be for the best that way.

* * *

 _Ino, Hinata, and Tenten had a plan, hopefully. And maybe one day they'd share it with me._

* * *

 _To be continued_


	7. Chapter 6: Extra-curriculars

**-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own any recognizable content._

 **-Chapter Six-**

 **-Extra-curriculars-**

 _So far, the girls had spread rumours about me in order to increase my reputation, without my knowledge. They'd changed my look and my entire wardrobe without my permission. I really hop they eventually fill me in on this plan._

* * *

I was awoken at a god-awful hour that morning. Normally, I turned my phone off so that if anyone wanted to text me I wouldn't be disturbed, though no one had ever texted me in the middle of the night before.

 _The one time I forget to flip that little switch!_

Slowly, I rolled over to my bedside table, without lifting my head from the pillow or turning on my light, I reached out and began groping for the offending device. It took a couple of misplaced swats, but I eventually landed on the thin rectangular device.

'Hey girl!' the text read. Tenten, ever the go-getter had decided to text me at a quarter to six. 'Rush week starts tomorrow. It's the time of year when all clubs/ activities/ extracurriculars open themselves up to new recruits. If you want to increase your rep you'll def need to sign up for some. Meet me in the plaza at 8:00 sharp today. We'll pick some good ones!'

I had to read the text twice before my sleep-addled brain was able to retain and comprehend the words. Then, I flung my phone down and fell back asleep. I still had twenty minutes before my alarm went off and I was going to get every minute and second I could.

 _Well, at least they're telling me the plan before it was already in place._

* * *

I trudged into school at 7:59 am. My mood was definitely not cheery; I'd snapped at my mother for slurping her coffee too loudly. I was not a morning person on a good day, but being rudely awoken much too early and made to show up at school a full half hour before I normally would have, had turned me into a snarling beast.

 _Look out ye who cross the rabid beast that is my sleep- and caffeine- deprived self._

Tenten was standing in the plaza looking far too awake for my liking. Her only saving grace was the large, steaming cup of coffee she held out for me. In order to get to the school on time, I'd had to forgo my usual Starbucks stop and I was definitely feeling my lack of caffeine. There had been coffee at home, but it was not fit for consumption by anyone but my mom.

I greedily took the proffered coffee and downed the first few sips in several seconds. I definitely burnt my tongue, but as the caffeine entered my system, I didn't care.

Once I had coffee in me, I turned to Tenten awaiting instructions. I was a little surprised to see a chipper Hinata standing beside the brunette, not simply because I hadn't noticed her presence previously. I had thought it would just be Tenten and I going through the booth fair. The four of us tended to not interact at school to keep any possible suspicion at bay.

Tenten, seeing my confused expression, jumped in to explain. "Hinata decided to join us today. She was a little worried that I'd end up signing you up for far too many academic clubs and ruin our plan to grow your reputation. I told her not to worry, but Ino stuck her nose in and I was out-voted."

 _Wait? These girls vote on things? Why did I not know this? Stop keeping me in the dark!_

"Out-voted?" I asked, tired of being left out of the decision-making process. Tenten brushed off my concern.

"It's just a figure of speech. We didn't actually hold a vote."

 _Sure. I totally believe you._

After the passing of an awkward moment or two, the three of us headed off into the atrium and the plethora of booths representing the myriad clubs offered at the school. It was all a little overwhelming. I'd never been a joiner and avoided such things as a club fair. For once in our strange little whatever it was, I was glad to be drug around and not have to think for myself. I wholeheartedly accepted the aid of Tenten and Hinata.

"Okay, so thinking of clubs that would help your reputation, Ino has strongly suggested *cough* demanded *cough* that we sign you up for cheerleading." Tenten spoke, focusing on the booth surrounded by bouncing, perky girls.

"It makes sense," Hinata piped in, always the mediator, "the cheerleaders are at every basketball and football game so Sakura will get a lot of face time with Sasuke. Plus, there is always the old cliché of cheerleader and athlete." Tenten begrudgingly agreed and, grumbling under her breath, walked towards the booth.

"Hello. Sakura here would like to try out for cheerleading," Tenten spoke, her tone extremely sugary. She was talking to Ino who, as cheer captain, was responsible for manning the booth. It made Tenten's behaviour a little less suspicious, but I was still on edge. The last thing I needed at that moment was more unwanted attention.

Ino shot Tenten a glare. There was clearly a lot of animosity between the two. However, the glare was only on Ino's face for the briefest of moments before it was replaced with a plastic grin. She quickly whipped her head from Tenten to me and I felt a strange urge to smile back, even though her smile was clearly fake.

"That's fantastic? All Sakura needs to do is fill out our recruitment sheet and show up for tryouts on Friday afternoon after last bell." Ino then handed me a clipboard that I filled out. All the while, she was smiling creepily at me.

 _Okay, Ino. Turn down the crazy. It's starting to show and it's definitely not a good look on you._

* * *

It felt like we walked through the club fair for over an hour, but it couldn't have been more than thirty minutes. Tenten walked with a determination I'd only ever seen on like generals or dictators. She had a plan about how she wanted to through everything and it was absolutely going to happen even if it killed us all. Finally, when the first bell of the day rang, Tenten let us go off on our day.

 _I'm not going to make it through the rest of the day. This morning was exhausting and draining enough!_

Luckily, I hadn't been overwhelmed with clubs and extra-curriculars. The girls had done a really good job of pairing it all down to a few select clubs that they thought would make the greatest impact on my relationship potential with Sasuke. Aside from cheerleading, I was also signed up for a cooking club with Hinata. Apparently, those in the club would be serving the members of the various sports teams when they practiced late or had home games. Being in the club would put me in a lot of contact with Sasuke and, as the saying goes; the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

As well, Tenten insisted I join the lacrosse team with her. Apparently, Sasuke had a thing for lacrosse players, or so Tenten was leading me to believe. I was a little sceptical, but it seemed that part of the role I was to play in this whole scheme was as a puppet or rag doll. I needed to do what the others asked of me I order to ensure our success.

However, in a small act of rebellion, and in an attempt to maintain some of my autonomy, I also signed up for an activity completely for myself. I'd always been fascinated by photography and how to take absolutely spectacular photos. So, when I saw the club, filled with this strange confidence that I seemed to gain from the girls, I confidently strode up to the table on my own.

"Sign the sheet and fill out your information. All equipment will be provided to you, but if you have your own camera or lenses you can bring them. Have you taken a lot of photos?" the chipper girl at the table spoke. Unlike a lot of the other people I'd encountered that day, this girl surprisingly didn't annoy me.

"No, pretty new to this. Is that okay?" I asked, a little hesitant. What if this was a club for only expert photographers and I had just ruined my chances? The girl just smiled warmly at me.

"Not at all. Everyone's at a different skill level. I'm Temari by the way." I introduced myself and then turned my attention to filling out the form in my hand.

"Got any more spots, beautiful?" a silky male voice asked over my shoulder. Despite my newness to the school and its inhabitants, I recognized the voice immediately.

"I didn't think you'd be interested in taking photos of other things, Uchiha. You seem like a self-absorbed selfie person to me," Temari spat. It was strange to hear such dislike directed at the king of the school. Despite the fact that I was actively trying to begin a relationship with the boy, I couldn't help but smile.

 _Yass girl! Don't be enthralled by a person just because the whole school reveres him!_

"Something rather striking caught my eye and I wanted to learn the best way to capture it," Sasuke responded. His voice was deep and husky. It sounded extremely alluring and I had to really fight against my desire to fling myself at the boy. Aside from the extremely sexy quality of his voice, I also felt like jumping his bones because I couldn't help but think that I was the striking thing he was talking about.

It all combined to make him extremely irresistible, but I tried my best. I focused on my form, not even really acknowledging his presence. I was supposed to be playing hard to get and following through on my desires would not fall under that umbrella.

When I was done, I thanked Temari and then turned on my heel. Thankfully, for the first time in my life, I moved coolly through the crowd of people and back to a beaming Tenten and Hinata. They had obviously seen my interaction with Sasuke and were proud with how I dealt with it.

* * *

 _Maybe this whole getting Sasuke to fall for my thing won't be all that hard. I just hoped I don't get drawn in in the process._

* * *

 _To be continued_


	8. Chapter 7: Alert! Alert!

**-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own any recognizable content_

 **-Chapter Seven-**

 **-Alert! Alert!-**

* * *

 _Slowly, but surely the plan of winning Sasuke over to eventually break his heart and taken him down was coming together. With the effort and aide of the girls, I was becoming someone Sasuke would be interested in…_

* * *

I like to think that I was lucky. In terms of when I started at Sarutobi High School, I mean. There had been times when, due to my mother's heartache, I'd been forced to uproot my life in the middle of the school year. I was already lousy at making friends, having to do it in the middle of the year when everyone already had their friend groups sorted out was almost torturous. When I moved to Konoha, I was able to start school on the first day in September.

It wasn't until late October, though, that I actually started making friends. That was when gym classes were combined and the three extremely different girlfriends of Sasuke found out about each other. I wasn't sure if you could consider us friends; we had a few bonding moments, like when we went shopping for my new look, but mostly, the three of them argued and fought and I stood on the sidelines and observed.

October was also when Naruto had become my lab partner. He acted a little bit like my lap dog a little too often for my liking, but he was a genuinely nice and funny guy. Plus, I was absolutely positive that we were friends. There was no grey areas like there was with Ino, Hinata, and Tenten. So, I wasn't going to be too picky about who I considered my friends.

The ninth month of the year also brought me a whole new group of… friends? Acquaintances? People to judge and scrutinize me? I was now connected to cheerleaders, armature chefs, and really intense lacrosse players.

I am almost 200% positive that Ino rigged my cheerleading tryout. I am not a coordinated person. I can't even count the number of times I've tripped over my own feet, or even nothing at all. During my tryout, I did just that at least five times. There were probably half a dozen girls who were a million times better than me at our assigned routine, and yet, I apparently out-performed them all and made the team.

The same was true with my spot on the lacrosse team.

 _I am not a person who should be partaking in any athletic or moving artistic endeavours. Stationary activities are way more my speed. Thank you very much!_

However, I was really enjoying my photography club. I'd developed an amicable relationship with Temari, the girl who had been manning the table turning the booth fair. But, more than that, the skills that I was learning and the absolutely stunning photos I was taking made me feel more accomplished than anything else I'd ever done.

Despite signing up during rush week, Sasuke had yet to show up to the club. I was initially a little worried that I'd royally messed up and had played too hard to get. Perhaps Sasuke had lost interest and moved on. Perhaps I'd ruined everything.

 _Way to go, Sakura. Can't even properly seduce a guy!_

* * *

"He said he saw something striking, and it was pretty clear he was talking about me, but he hasn't shown up to the club. He hasn't expressed any other interest! Have I ruined things?" I asked Ino as we walked through the halls after cheer practice. I hadn't wanted to bring up my failure, but it had been nearly a month with no movement and I thought the girls should know that I may have ruined all of our hard work.

For her part, Ino just stared at me, aghast. I was about to start apologizing profusely, interpreting her look as anger and shock at my incompetence and ruining of our plan. However, before I could even get a word out, Ino was squeezing my hand and dragging me through the halls of the school.

 _How many times do I have to say, stop dragging my around like an ill-behaved dog!_

She finally stopped, where else, but in front of the audio-visual laboratory that had become our meeting place. I was confused by why Ino had brought me here. We hadn't agreed to a meeting, and Ino had so out of the blue begun to drag me that I was 90% sure that this wasn't some secret, behind-my-back, meeting. The only thing I could think of was that behind the still closed doors was an answer to my concerns over Sasuke's lack of contact.

I leaned even further that way when he banged through the door to a very surprised Tenten. Moments prior to our rather rude entry, the brunette had been leaning over the shoulder of her friend, and our ally, Neji as the boy worked on something on a computer.

 _And if I do say so myself, Tenten was sensually leaning over Neji, making sure that her ample bosom was clearly pressed against Neji's shoulder. You go girl!_

When we banged in, Tenten jumped back from Neji, her hands snapping to her chest in a clear sign of shock and surprise. Neji, for his part, continued to sit stoically before the computer, shooting us no more than a quick glance over his shoulder.

"What are you airhead cheerleaders doing here? If you're looking for someone to do your homework, you've come to the wrong place!" Tenten exclaimed. I was a little surprised by her reaction before I realised that the doors behind us were still open and the computer lab was populated with quite a few students finishing up schoolwork.

 _We can't be seen to be getting along and, as a cheerleader I get to be thought of as a vapid airhead. Fantastic!_

"I take personal offense to that gross mischaracterization!" Ino exclaimed before the doors shut. While Tenten's hostile look melted off her face as soon as we were alone, Ino continued to glare menacingly at the other girl. "We may have a problem." Ino finally spoke.

"Oh?" Tenten asked, sounding genuinely surprised. However, as she spoke, she moved back to stand behind Neji.

"Yeah, a serious problem. Can you text your cousin and get her here ASAP?" Ino directed her last comment to the extremely uninterested Neji.

 _Hinata and Neji are cousins? I guess I can see a similarity there. They both have interesting eyes._

* * *

It took Hinata exactly seven minutes and twenty-nine seconds to arrive at the audio-visual lab. I know this because that time was spent in such an awkward and oppressive silence that the only thing I could do was watch the clock and count the seconds.

"What's the big emergency?" the petite animal-lover asked as she took a seat in the strange little circle we'd unconsciously created with our chairs.

"Sakura's been straight-up lying to us," Ino spoke. Her tone was so matter-of-fact that, despite me knowing that what she'd just said wasn't true (I hadn't lied to any of them), I almost believed her words.

Incredulous shouts of incomprehension and confusion rang out in the small room. These were quickly followed by a loud, basically incomprehensible argument between Ino on one side and Tenten and Hinata on the other. I just stayed seated, a little shocked, frankly.

 _What does this witch mean by 'straight-up lying'? Lying about what? How would she know? What was going on?_

Finally, the yelling became too much for me. Feeling uncharacteristically brave, I stood up and got in between the three bickering girls. It took me basically shoving the three girls back into their chairs to finally get them to stop. Now, in the middle of the circle, I had my chance to clear the air.

"First off, I haven't been lying to you. I don't know what Ino is talking about. Secondly-" I was about to go on with some other complaints I had with our little arrangement, but Ino stood up and sassily interrupted me.

"Oh, no? You haven't been lying? Then why don't you share your concerns over Sasuke with Hinata and Tenten?" Ino spoke with her hands on her hips that only increased her level of sass. I was a little unsure of what she was getting at, but I did as she said. Obviously when it got out in the open, Hinata and Tenten would see how bat-shit crazy Ino was being.

"Okay. Well, I was just sharing with Ino my concern over the fact that Sasuke hasn't shown up to our photography club. When he signed up, he made a comment about me being striking, but I didn't respond or acknowledge it. Now I'm worried that I've blown it with him."

Tenten and Hinata just sat quietly, blinking at me and then blinking at Ino. The blonde, for her part, was standing beside me with her arms smugly crossed. From the two other girls' reactions I could tell they were just as confused by Ino as me. Ino seemed oblivious to this at first, though the lack of outrage from Tenten and Hinata slowly clued her in.

"Okay, let me spell it out for you," Ino spoke after a deep, highly annoyed sigh. "We picked Sakura to help us get our revenge on Sasuke for a few reasons, but one of these reasons why we picked her is because she claimed to have experience with playboys like our King of the School. In fact, we even turned to her initially to come up with our plan. Now, I think it is a really good thing we came up with out own plan.

"Well," Ino continued after her small sidetrack, "if she had as much experience with guys like Sasuke, she wouldn't be worried right now. This is right in Sasuke's playbook! He can literally get any girl at this school that he wants; women throw themselves at him! So he, and most other players like him, have come up with a system to weed out the undesirables."

At this point in Ino's speech, Tenten seemed to catch on and picked up the blonde's trail of thought, "Right! If Sasuke is interested in a girl he lets her know in a somewhat subtle way then basically disappears. That way, he can weed out the clingy or over-aggressive girls. Also, his comment is vague so he can deny he was ever interested in case the girl is not fit for him."

"Exactly," Ino jumped back in, "and if you did know about these guys, if you actually had experience with them, you would have experienced this behaviour before. You couldn't be worried about Sasuke loosing interest, but you so obviously are. Ipso facto, you lied to us!"

Ino finished her statement with the same gusto that I'd seen in her when she successfully tore down an enemy or victim. All I could do was blink innocently back as the three girls stared me down.

"Well?" Hinata spoke up, "is it true, Sakura? Did you lie to us about your experience?" Her tone was so small, innocent, and hurt that I couldn't have lied to her even if I'd wanted to.

"I don't personally have any experience, no," I started and was forced to continue over increasingly loud groans, "But my mom has dated a million and one of these guys. I've mostly seen how they operate, but I guess I just missed the beginning of the relationship behaviours."

I took a deep breath, feeling relief as I got rid of a burden I didn't really know I was carrying. And then I waited. Would this be the end? Would we call it quits and go our separate ways?

 _I honestly don't know which way I want all of this to go… Keep the gang together or be free to be a wallflower again…_

"I think we need to meet you mom," Ino spoke up.

* * *

 _Honestly, did not see that one coming…_

* * *

 _To be continued…_


	9. Chapter 8: The First Test

**-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own any recognizable content_

 **-Chapter Eight-**

 **-The First Test-**

 _So, it finally came out that my "experience" with guys like Sasuke was second-hand through watching my mom date guys like Sasuke. The girls' response was honestly not what I expected. Why do they want to meet my mom?_

* * *

"I think we need to meet your mom," Ino spoke. To which the other three of us responded, "what?!"

 _It's always nice when we're almost all on the same side. It's times like these that make me think this thing could actually succeed._

"I think we need to meet your mom," Ino restated. "She's been in our place before, heartbroken after dating a player. Plus, she's an adult and has more worldly experience. She may be a good resource for us because, honestly, once we've hooked Sasuke, I'm not sure how exactly we'll go about breaking his heart. Maybe your mom will have some words of wisdom for us."

 _Girl's got a point. Mom has been heartbroken at least a dozen times. She's got to be of some help in all of this._

Looking around, I could tell that both Hinata and Tenten were also seeing sense in Ino's words. They thought that turning to my mom could be helpful. So, we decided to head over to my house that afternoon to work on homework and mine my mother for all her knowledge and experience.

* * *

I had to say, I was nervous about how the afternoon would go. The only other time we'd met outside the school had been for our shopping trip. That had been a little hairy and we'd had a clear objective. This afternoon, besides talking to my mom, we didn't have a set goal. We'd have to try and make small talk or else sit in complete silence.

When we got to my house, we all set up at the table in my kitchen/ dining room, books, binders, and papers spread out on the fairly small surface. As we got organized, none of the four of us spoke, but we silently negotiated who would work where. Then, we got down to our work, also silently.

 _Okay. No one is fighting, or yelling, or threating to kill each other. So, at least that's a good sign. But I think we need more than that if we're going to continue working together for the next few moths. Here goes nothing…_

"My mom has quite the sweet tooth and usually keeps the kitchen pretty well-stocked with junk food, if anyone is hungry," I spoke, breaking the growing –and increasingly oppressive- silence. My words seemed to act as a spell-breaker as the three other girls all visibly relaxed.

"I could definitely go for something sweet," Ino spoke, jumping up from her spot and sashaying towards the counter. I quickly joined her, showing her where everything was located. "Oh, yes! Your mom has chocolate frosting and fuzzy peaches! They are definitely the best junk foods!"

"I totally agree! Nothing beats chocolate frosting. It's like the Uchiha Sasuke of junk foods!" Tenten responded. I was nearly floored that Ino and Tenten had just agreed on something that wasn't related to our plot to destroy a man and, worried that pointing it out would ruin the moment. I didn't say anything.

"What?" Hinata jumped in, her tone light. "It's got to get with every other junk food on the shelf?" Her comment was met with laughter and wide smiles from the other girls, myself included. In that moment, it was like all of our baggage and issues disappeared and we were four friends hanging out like it was a typical Tuesday night.

In the next moment, my mother walked into the kitchen where we were gathered. Like any other time that my extremely good looking mother walked into a room, all heads snapped in her direction and mouths dropped in shock and surprise.

"That's your mom?" Ino asked, a slight vein of jealousy running through her words. My mom smiled warmly at the three girls sitting at our table before shooting me a look that clearly indicated she wanted to talk about the strangeness of me having friends over.

"What are you girls up to?" my mom asked as she moved over to the fridge with her water bottle. She was wearing her tight yoga pants and shirt that hopefully indicated she'd come from yoga and wasn't just wearing that outfit around town. With my mom, there was no guarantee.

"Destroying a man," Tenten responded off-handily. She didn't even look up from whatever she was writing. My mom gave me another shocked look and all I could do was shrug noncommittally.

 _We're gonna have quite the talk tonight._

"Speaking of," Ino jumped in before my mom could politely excuse herself. The blonde then began mining my mother for all the information and experience she had on heartbreak and dating players.

"One time after I found out that a guy was cheating on me, I pulled a total Carrie Underwood on him and nearly destroyed his car with a baseball bat. Though, as a mother I am not suggesting you do that or condoning it in any way."

"We're thinking more along the lines of a taste of his own medicine type revenge," Tenten responded, leaning in towards my mom to show her interest.

 _Please don't tell her our plan. Please don't tell her our plan. Please don't tell her our plan. Don't tell her that I am the one who will really be giving him a taste of his own medicine. I've already kept so much from her about this whole thing and we'll already have a lot to talk about tonight. There's no need to add to all that._

"Break his heart the same way he broke yours? That could be interesting. You'll have to test him first though, make sure he's really falling for you before you tear it all away from him."

"Of course. We'll have to think of that. We're still in the roping in stages though, so that's a way off. Any advice on how to break up with him to really break his heart?" Ino asked, thankfully keeping my exact role out of the discussion.

"Maybe think about what he did when he broke up with you. I think that would be the best place to find inspiration. And, be careful girls. If you don't protect your hearts in this whole endeavour you could end up getting very hurt. Now, I need to shower and get ready for work. Play nice girls." Having given us her motherly (and also not so motherly) advice, my mom sashayed out of the room, leaving Tenten, Hinata, Ino and myself to finish up our plotting and my preparation of playing hard to get.

* * *

 _So, remember a few days ago when I was so nervous that I'd ruined things with Sasuke because he all but disappeared? Well, as it turns out, I was worrying over nothing really…_

It was while I was at my locker between first and second periods, changing my books, when I had my third interaction with Uchiha Sasuke. As per usual, I was moving through the hallways with my headphones in and I didn't hear him at first. It wasn't until I'd closed my locker and turned to head down the hallway when I finally realised he was there.

I jumped at the sight of him and pulled my headphones out of my ears. His alluring, sexy smirk said to me that he wanted to talk and I couldn't easily do that with Imagine Dragons blaring in my ears.

"I have that affect on people," Sasuke spoke, as if my startled reaction was a sign of immense attraction or something. His voice was deep and silky. I had to keep repeating Ino, Hinata, and Tenten's words about playing hard to get in order to not melt into a Sakura puddle at his feet.

"They jump away from you? I hate to tell you but, that's not a good thing." I wasn't sure where those words came from; they didn't sound like something I would normally say, but they sounded like a cool, experienced girl had said them. Riding the same force that brought forth my words, I began coolly walking away.

I'd only gotten a few steps away when a hand on my arm stopped me. Slowly, and as reluctantly as I could make myself seem, I turned back to look at Sasuke.

"You don't like me," Sasuke spoke, a playful smile on his face. His statement would normally have been posed as a question, and not fact, but I ignored that. I also didn't respond, just waited for him to continue. "I'm a really nice guy and I'm sure if you got to know me you'd see that. How about I take you out this weekend and give you that chance?"

 _Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! Uchiha Sasuke just asked my out! the hottest, most popular boy at this school just asked me, invisible, wallflower me, out! This. Is. Crazy! Okay, Sakura. Freak out later. Right now, you need to be cool. You're playing hard-to-get._

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm busy this weekend," I responded coolly, keeping the shrieking and jumping I wanted to do on the inside. This time, when I walked away, Sasuke was far too stunned to try and stop me.

* * *

As soon as Sasuke asked me out, I started looking for Ino, Hinata, and Tenten. This was news I needed to share ASAP. Unfortunately, the one time I wanted one of them to pop out of wherever, I couldn't find hide nor hair of them.

 _Why is this universe so unfair!?_

I kept looking for the three girls in between classes. By the time I was heading to my chemistry class, the last period of the day, I still hadn't found them. I was really about to give up and just keep the good news to myself; we'd meet up eventually. With that thought in my mind I walked into the class with a spring in my step.

Naruto was sitting, squirming slightly, at our normal lab bench. I smiled at him, but the smile I got back in return looked slightly strained. I wasn't sure why he was acting so strange, but my mind wasn't focused on him at that particular moment.

Class started and Naruto continued squirming anxiously beside me. It was quickly becoming more and more noticeable and, therefore, more and more distracting. I was just about to turn to him and ask what was going on, but the buzz that signalled a forthcoming announcement sounded throughout the classroom.

Everyone dutifully stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the speaker box, waiting for the words that would follow. The school didn't make announcements all that often, so the strangeness of the event caused a slight uptick in interest.

"Good afternoon, fellow Sarutobi High Foxes," the silky voice of Sasuke spoke. While the principal or others in the office usually made announcements, it wasn't really strange to hear a student speaking.

"This announcement is for a beautiful, beguiling young woman. Haruno Sakura, I choose to believe that what you said earlier in the hallway was a mistake or temporary state of insanity. So, I'm going to ask you again.

"Will you go out with me this weekend? I'll be waiting outside the gymnasium after school for your answer!" As soon as Sasuke's announcement ended, the sounds of a marching band struck up. It came closer and closer to the chemistry classroom until members of the school band walked through the door. They took a moment to arrange themselves and then began playing the same Imagine Dragons song that I had been listening to earlier that day.

* * *

 _Wow, Sakura, this guy really wants to go out with you. Should you say yes or hang on for a little while longer?_

* * *

 _To be continued…._


	10. Chapter 9: The Chase

**-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own any recognizable content._

 **-Chapter Nine-**

 **-The Chase-**

 _So, when we last left things, the king of the school, Mr. Popular himself, Uchiha Sasuke, had just asked me out. Now what?_

* * *

As soon as the bell to end school rang, I ran, almost as fast as I could, to our official/ unofficial meeting place. I needed to tell them what had happened, even though they probably knew all that had happened. One of the effects of being asked out over the loud speaker.

When I got to the audio-visual lab, the other girls were already there, pacing around the computer-cluttered space in an attempt to relieve their very obvious anxiety. As soon as I walked in they pounced.

I was grabbed with claw-like fingers. Each girl, for some unexplained reason, began pulling me in three different directions. They were also all talking at the same time. For the briefest of moments, I truly regretted stepping into the room.

"Okay! One at a time!" I finally shouted, no longer being able to put up with being treated like a rag doll. "Sasuke asked me out in the hall and I turned him down before the big announcement and band performance."

"Band performance?" Ino asked. She was obviously not used to not knowing about major events happening in the school. She was a gossip queen. In order to hold that title, she was dialled in to literally everything that happened at the school.

"Oh, yeah. After Sasuke asked me out over the loud speaker, the school band walked in to my chemistry class and played the Imagine Dragon's song I was listening to when Sasuke first asked me out." At my words, I watched looks of jealousy at the attention I was receiving momentarily cross Hinata, Tenten, and Ino's faces.

 _Oh no! If these girls are jealous of me receiving a little attention this is not going to work! I'm trying to date this idiot! How are you going to react when we actually start?_

Tenten was the first to recover and she plastered a sweet smile on her face. "This is great! We've got him hooked. Now all we need to do is reel him in. Then, it's time for the sinker! And I've been thinking about that part." Tenten momentarily paused her speech and walked purposefully over to a cluttered surface.

"Your mother actually inspired it, when she was talking about that we should think about how Sasuke dumped us. He used the exact same words, almost like it was rehearsed and well practiced. Like he'd used it countless times before. And I think that is how we break up with Sasuke. Using his own words!"

Tenten then turned from the cluttered workbench she'd been facing. It was a strange motion, almost as if she'd done it with a slight flourish. In her hands was a small video recorder. The technology was a little old, most of us used our phones for videography, so the puzzled looks on my face, as well as those on Ino's and Hinata's, made sense.

 _Where are you going with this girlie? It had better be good and come with a real clear explanation, cuz this is hella crazy._

"What's with the dinosaur tech?" Ino asked, her tone dripping with venom that cheerleaders and queen bees used with such skill. The blonde then turned to look at her nails, not even deigning to look at the girl she was talking too.

"This is not dinosaur tech. It is way more advanced than your phone. It is higher definition with way better sound. I record _everything_ on this," Tenten responded, her tone just as biting as Ino. "As for why I have it. My plan to break Sasuke's heart is to record a break up speech. The same break up speech that Sasuke gave us. Then, at some moment, the most opportune moment, we play the video in front of the whole school and publically break his heart."

 _That, my friend, is genius. Pure evil, but genius. And probably the best taste of his own medicine. I love it! And from the looks on the other girls' faces, they agree._

"That is brilliant. Me first! I want first crack at it!" Hinata spoke with a glee that I hadn't seen in the normally calm passive girl. Tenten, with an evil glint in her eyes, trained the camera on the raven-haired girl.

"Baby," Hinata began, looking sultrily into the camera, "what we had was special, an unspoken bond. It has been the best, most exciting few weeks I have ever had."

Ino then stepped up in front of the camera, "Unfortunately, over the past few days, I've been doing some thinking, some soul searching. And, it breaks my hear to do this, but-

Tenten cut Ino off by swinging the camera to face herself "-but, I think I need to spend some time focusing on myself. These next few weeks are going to be hectic and I just don't think I can devote the time you need. So, unfortunately babe-"

Finally, Tenten turned the camera on me. I'd heard this speech at least a million times before. The girls had said it, dissected it, so many times that I knew exactly what to say. Before I spoke, I brought up image after image of my mother's cowardly, scumbag boyfriends sneaking out at all hours of the night.

"Unfortunately, Uchiha Sasuke, you _are not_ the one for me and I think we need to end this thing now before it goes any further." When Sasuke had said it, he had been sad and conciliatory. Me? I was cold, detached, and maybe a little angry.

Slowly, Tenten lowered the phone, a satisfied smirk on her face that was mirrored on Ino's and Hinata's.

 _I'd done good!_

* * *

 _I'd also done a good job hooking Sasuke. Over the week following Sasuke's initial date invitation there wasn't a day that went passed that I wasn't confronted and accosted by him or his friends with a date proposal. And some of them were beyond tacky…_

"What was it this time?" Hinata asked, popping a large, juicy blueberry into her mouth. The two of us were sitting at a table near the center of the cafeteria. My newfound popularity had given me access to such a prime location, though I was a little uncomfortable with all the eyes on me.

"Today it was a series a billboards on my way to school. Some of them had terribly corny puns, but some were actually quite clever," I responded. The girls, Ino, Hinata, and Tenten, had taken to rotating lunches with me. We couldn't ever be seen together, the three of us, but each of them could be seen with me alone. It didn't look suspicious, just like three popular girls trying to win the attention of a forth.

"I want to be there when you tell Ino," Hinata leaned in closer to me, her whisper conspiratorial, "I've heard through the rumour mill that billboards is her dream promposal."

 _Wow Hinata. You've got quite the wicked streak! I'd better watch out for those claws!_

"Yeah, well, when it's the forth way over the top date proposal in two weeks it's not quite as romantic as you would think. At first when it was that a capella group following me around and singing songs about boys and girls wanting someone to go out with them, it was cute. Annoying, but cute. However, as the requests got more and more large scale, they're just annoying."

Sasuke, with help from his friends no doubt, had spent the last two weeks staging more and more elaborate and high-profile promposal-like ask outs. I thought he would eventually loose interest, but Ino and Tenten insisted this was just where they wanted him to be.

 _Apparently, because girls throw themselves at that pig-head, having one not interested in him was like catnip. I'm still not sure I like being catnip. It's rather awkward, how desperate Sasuke is getting… Hopefully the girls will let me accept soon. I don't know how much more I can take._

"Well," Hinata spoke, "I think we're getting close to having him really hooked on you. A few more days and he should be almost a puddle of desperation." The idea of Sasuke acting like a forlorn, lovesick boy, begging and pleading for someone's attention for a turn brought a creepy, almost sadistic smile to Hinata's face.

 _Yeah, definitely don't get on her bad side._

* * *

 _Sasuke reached his breaking point on Friday, two days after my lunchtime chat with Hinata and it was absolutely glorious! It happened at the basketball game…_

"Foxes! Foxes! We shout and roar! Take that ball and score! Score! Score!" us cheerleaders chanted from the sidelines, wiggling our hips and shaking our pompoms. The crowd cheered and the basketball players, well I like to think they played a little more intensely. In reality, aside from giving the crowd something to watch when the play slowed slightly, we didn't really have much of a purpose.

Especially since our team was winning.

They were only up by four points, so it was enough to keep the crowd excited and engaged. We barely had to try to get a cheer or loud roar from the assembled students. I really hated being a cheerleader.

 _As soon as this Sasuke thing is over and dealt with I am dropping this silly extracurricular. In fact, can I leave right now? Do I even need to be here? How much longer do I have to stand here, shaking my booty? Especially since Sasuke hasn't even looked in my direction._

I was just about to ask Ino if I could go home, come up with some excuse about not feeling well, and leave, when the worst happened. We gave the ball up a few times, due to some really bad turnovers, and the other team evened the score and was even able to go ahead. The mood of the crowd quickly soured and we actually had a roll to play now.

 _Why does god hate me? Why can't thing ever go my way?_

The basketball game continued for another twenty minutes with an almost dead even back and forth. Neither team could get more than three baskets ahead before the other team came back with a vengeance. It was actually quite nerve wrecking, and would have been an enjoyable game if not for the fact that I was on the sidelines cheerleading.

Then, in the final minutes of the game, Sasuke, who like always had been carrying the team seemed to loose interest in the game. It was like a switch in his mind flipped and he went from thinking about the game and essentially ignoring me, to forgetting about the game and focusing solely on me.

In the middle of a play, with growing momentum on his side, Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks right in front of me. "Hello, Sakura. Having a good time tonight?" he asked, a coy smile on his face.

I just stood there, slack jawed. Sasuke managed to keep the other team's defenders off him so he was essentially holding the entire game hostage just to talk to me. I turned to Ino, looking for advice about how to react, but all I was met with was barely concealed rage.

 _Guess I'm on my own here._

"I'd be having a better time if the team's captain and best player was focusing on the game and trying to win. Especially since we are currently down by two points." I responded, trying to sound detached but also hopefully turn his mind back to the game.

It seemed to work a little because Sasuke finally passed the ball to a teammate. However, that teammate quickly got boxed in and had no other option but to throw it back to him. Once again, Sasuke had the game hostage.

"Maybe I could focus on the game if I could clear something from my mind. It's been far too distracting for me. See, there's this girl who, no matter what I do, will not go out with me, and I think, if said girl would just say yes to me, I would be able to focus much better. "

Sasuke gave me a meaningful look. He'd played his trump card. As the clock ran down to the last few seconds of the game, with our team down a few points, he knew I couldn't say no. No would mean the team would loose and it would all be my fault.

The clock was almost at zero. The crowd was on pins and needles, waiting for my response and whether or not we would win the game. I wasn't sure if this was a good idea, if Ino would ream me out for it after, but I had to act.

"Yes! Yes! If it will make you shoot that ball, then yes!" I shouted. Sasuke smiled and let the ball go just as the buzzer sounded. It flew through the air and swished into the basket for three points.

The crowd erupted.

 _And so, the grand Sasuke-Sakura saga begins._

 _To be continued…_


	11. Chapter 10: And Here We Go

**-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own any recognizable content._

 **-Chapter Ten-**

 **-And Here We Go-**

 _I'd agreed to go on a date with Sasuke. It had finally happened. The plan was officially in motion. So, here we go…_

* * *

Word spread through the school like wildfire. As I walked into that large brick and glass building on Monday morning it was already the talk of the school. Everywhere I went, people were whispering and staring. That, in and of itself, was not strange. Ever since Ino had gone around boosting my reputation, people stared and whispered. But this, this was next level staring and whispering.

 _Whelp, the news about Sasuke and I has most certainly gotten out. Hopefully, there will be this much interest, concern, and whispering when Tenten, Hinata, Ino and I are done with all of this._

"Sakura! Everyone is so excited about your date!" A blonde whirlwind came out of the crowd at me. Before I could even process it, Ino had latched onto my arm and was pulling me into the throng of whispering, staring people. "Of course, you'll need your bestie to help you get ready for it. Make sure your outfit is perfect and you don't have a hair out of place."

The hidden message behind Ino's words was that I still needed a lot of work to be anywhere close to presentable for my date with Sasuke. I was not yet ready to go out with the likes of living-god Uchiha Sasuke and be successful at it. All the girls would most likely need to be over for most of Saturday afternoon before my date to get me anywhere near close enough.

 _Oh, this is not going to be fun at all…_

* * *

The week passed agonizingly slowly. It seemed that every time I caught someone whispering about me the universe hit pause and added an extra five minutes to the week. And the whispering happened A LOT. By the time the final bell rang on Friday, I was tired of the never-ending week and irritated by all of the unwanted attention.

 _Can't a girl pee in peace?!_

Even Naruto, my lab partner and the one friend I'd made in any genuine fashion was treating me differently. Thankfully, he wasn't whispering about me, but there was a frostiness that hadn't been there before. When I walked into chemistry on Friday, done with the week and ready to be done with the class, I found the blond haired boy had returned to his previous lab desk.

 _Okay. That hurts a little. What did I do?_

I tried to catch his eye, but Naruto was not looking my way, almost like he was avoiding me on purpose. Eventually, the whispering in the classroom, heightened because of my strange, slightly desperate behaviour, became too much and I stopped trying to get the blond's attention.

 _When people were talking about you and you didn't want them to, the best thing to do was act inconspicuous._

As I walked out of school, a pile of textbooks in my arms, I had plans to spend the evening in the bliss of homework. I didn't have to worry about what homework thought of me or have it whisper about my personal life. Homework made sense and, after the week I had, I needed something straightforward like that.

"Oh, Pinkie!" a voice that I recognized oh so well called out as I tried to hurry off of the school grounds and onto the sidewalk towards my house.

 _Why can't I have nice things? What did I ever do to you to treat me this way, Universe? What, I ask you?_

Standing in front of a shiny looking black car, not as fancy as Ino's but still leaps-and-bounds above my mom's old clunker, was Tenten. She had a smile on her face that sent chills up my spine because I knew, I just knew, that her smile only meant pain and suffering for me.

"Hi Tenten. How are you? Great? Awesome! I've got a lot of homework to get done so, sorry to race off, but-" I spoke quickly. Tenten wasn't buying my rapid, one-sided conversation attempt to get away from her. Instead, she soundlessly opened her car door and motioned for me to step inside.

"I really do have a lot of homework that I need to get done tonight if I am going to devote my day tomorrow to the date." I tried again, hoping that Tenten would pick up on my desperate need to go home, be away from people, and just do my homework.

"We can totally spend some time doing your homework," Tenten spoke before once again motioning me into her car. I dropped my head in defeat, mumbled some swears under my breath and got into the car.

 _Right now, I wish I'd never met these annoying girls!_

* * *

"She will not let it go! It's getting so annoying and I'm seriously considering kicking her off the squad." Ino complained. She had made herself comfortable in my hanging chair, her knees pulled up to her chest.

All of us girls were spread out around my room. Hinata was hanging upside down off the side of my bed. Tenten was sitting backwards in my desk chair. I was lying on the floor in the middle of my room. The floor around where I was laying was covered in schoolwork and junk food.

"That's terrible. Awful. Repulsive," Hinata spoke as she ate a fruit rollup she'd wrapped around her finger. Her tone was robotic and devoid of emotion, like she didn't actually believe what she was saying. Tenten chuckled at her antics while Ino shot the raven-haired girl an angry glare.

It was almost 11:30 and the three girls didn't look like they were leaving any time soon. I guess they'd invited themselves over for a sleepover.

 _This will be interesting…_

"Okay, play nice," I said, groaning as I sat up. If four girls were going to come out of this night in the same condition they went in, it would be best to avoid touchy topics. Which, to be honest, involved essentially everything but Sasuke. "What is the plan for tomorrow?"

I'd asked it because I wanted to change the topic, but also because I wanted to know the plan. I was getting more and more nervous the closer it got to my date with Sasuke.

"Well," Ino readily jumped in, excited by the current vein of conversation. "We'll definitely have to start with your wardrobe. Everything else will come together when we've got exactly what you are going to be wearing."

"Yes," Tenten cut in, "and while Ino's dealing with the physical, Hinata and I will be mentally preparing you, grilling you on what you should say and how you should act. It'll be like crash course exam prep with the test being a successful date with Sasuke."

"Of course," Ino jumped back in with an evil, blood-chilling glare. "I will also be at the bonfire, in case you need something in the moment."

"What do you mean, Ino?" Hinata asked, her tone genuinely confused. "No cheerleader has ever gone to the bonfire solo. They always have a date."

"Who said I would be going alone?"

"You've got a date?" Tenten asked. Her tone was trying to appear calm, but I could tell the idea of Ino moving on before she had bothered the brunette.

"I asked Sasuke's friend Shikamaru to go out with me. It was a little desperate/ Sadie Hawkins, but I figured we'd need someone on the ground to help the hapless Sakura, and that idiotic pineapple was not picking up on my hints. Plus," Ino added as an afterthought, "he's got to have some insight and information on Sasuke that we were not privy too and I'm excellent at getting things out of people."

 _It sure sounds like Ino doth protest too much. She's trying just a little too hard to justify her date with Shikamaru._

From the looks on Tenten's and Hinata's faces I could tell they, too, weren't believing Ino's justifications. Playing her part as the mediator though, Hinata quickly masked her expression, and searched for any new subject that would lead to cohesion, not division.

"So, I've been wondering," Hinata spoke, her tone light and musing, "What is our end game in all this? We break Sasuke's heart, right? But where? How? Do we do it publicly? That would have the best effect."

 _I hope Hina is better at this distraction through planning thing than I was. After all, it was my attempt to keep things together by planning out tomorrow that had led us here in the first place._

"I've been thinking," Tenten began, always the planner.

"We should crush his heart at prom. That is the most public event of the school year. It'll have the biggest impact." Ino spoke, acting as if Tenten hadn't. The brunette shot the other girl a glare.

"Yes, that's what I was going to say. But, in order for our plan to work, we'll have to test Sasuke, make sure he really is falling for Sakura. If he's not, breaking his heart will be impossible."

"A test? What sort of test?" I asked, not liking the sounds of testing Sasuke in the slightest.

"I'm not sure what we will do, exactly. That will come with time. But I have figured out when. The best time for a test is definitely during this year's basketball tournament. Everyone will be in a hotel, away from parents and with only minimal supervision. Plus, if we haven't pushed him for enough, we still have some time before prom." Tenten finished her little speech with a self-satisfied smile.

 _In that moment, I started contemplating some aspects of our little scheme/ plan/ whatever you call it. I definitely would not consider us friends. Maybe one-on-one I could consider each of them a friend. Hinata seemed to show a genuine interest in my life. Tenten seemed to truly care about my future and that I exhibited some sort of ambition. Ino, in her strange way, was also worried about me more than just in terms of how I could help her hurt Sasuke. Her attempts to keep my reputation up seemed to go beyond just having me be acceptable to Sasuke._

 _They were my friends, but they were not necessarily each other's friends. Would we still be compatriots after we were done tearing down Sasuke? As much as I was a fairly reluctant participant in this whole thing, I was sad about the potential prospect. I'd never really had friends before and potentially losing them was starting to break my heart._

 _And it was with that depressing train of thought running through my head that I fell asleep that night._

* * *

The next day was an honest-to-goodness blur. I remember waking up and eating breakfast. Everything that came after that was flashes of colour, fabric, make up, and what I assume was helpful advice. Honestly, I didn't retain a single word of what Tenten and Hinata shared with me, no matter how often I reminded myself what they were saying was important.

 _Thank the lord Ino will be there tonight. I don't think I'll make it through otherwise._

Finally, the doorbell rang, and it was show time.

 _To be continued…_


	12. Chapter 11: The First Date

**-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own any recognizable content_

 **-Chapter Eleven-**

 **-The First Date-**

 _The girls spent an entire evening and day preparing me for my first date with Uchiha Sasuke. Unfortunately, I didn't retain any of what was probably very excellent advice. I was hard-core panicking. Everything was riding on my shoulders…_

* * *

When the doorbell rang, all of us girls were in my bedroom, primping. I had thought I was ready to go about an hour before. Ino had squeezed me into a pair of cute, brightly patterned shorts that I'm pretty sure she'd found in my mother's closest. The shorts were paired with a cute, off the shoulder, crop top with a ruffle.

The girls had then done my hair in relaxed beachy waves and applied a crap ton of makeup that left me looking like I wasn't really wearing any. This had happened an hour ago, yet none of the girls had considered me 'complete' and kept preening and prodding me.

So, all this was to say that, when the doorbell rang, the girls were still in the middle of 'getting me ready' and began to essentially hyperventilate that they were 'out of time.'

"Girls. Girls! I'm fine!" I exclaimed, exasperated at their ministrations. "You've spent nearly two hours and I don't think I'm getting any better. Sasuke's already seen me with a lot less effort so it's not like he's expecting a model or anything."

Ino and Hinata seemed to agree and backed off. Tenten however, hurried over to her bag and grabbed a small jewellery box out of it. Inside was an absolutely gorgeous bobble necklace.

"This is something I've been working on for quite a few months. It's actually a hidden camera so, even though Hinata and I won't be there alongside you, we will still be able to see everything that is going on with you tonight."

The idea of having the two of them with me virtually, and Ino in person, comforted me a little and, with a deep breath, I headed down the stairs towards my awaiting date.

* * *

Meeting Sasuke that evening was like those cliché scenes in teen rom com movies. The boy waits, anxiously and nervously, at the bottom of the stairs, feeling the oppressive stare of the girl's parents. Then, suddenly, the girl appears at the top of the stairs and all eyes turn to her. The boy's expression goes agog, and the girl slowly and romantically descends the stairs.

 _Okay, Sasuke, who has probably been on a billion dates, looks just about as nervous as I feel. That's got to be a good sign. And that look on his face definitely says he appreciates me. I think he literally just racked his eyes over me._

"Your dashing knight has arrived," my mom trilled. She, obviously, was not aware of her supposed roll in our little drama. Instead of glaring at Sasuke, she was smiling goofily and so wide it was like she had a hanger in her mouth.

"Thanks mom, don't you have yogalates or something?" I asked, embarrassed by her actions and hoping I could politely nudge her out of the way. Thankfully, she took the hint and bowed out of the small entryway.

"Well," Sasuke asked, when I'd finally reached the bottom step and tied on my crisp, white converse sneakers "shall we head off? They should be lighting the fire as we speak." Then, like a leading man in a classic, black and white romance, he held out his arm to me. I quickly grabbed it and essentially pulled him out of the door. I was worried about what the gesture would do to the three girls barricaded in my bedroom.

 _Hopefully, these three don't get too jealous over whatever romantic gestures he pulls tonight. I guess this will be the first real test of our whole little plan._

* * *

The bonfire was apparently an annual event. It was held on the side of a lake in a park in the middle of town. The town, not the high school, put it on. Despite this, about 80% of the attendees were from Sarutobi High. I spotted Ino and Shikamaru sitting on the edge of a boardwalk over the lake.

 _Apparently, she doesn't need a million hours to look presentable. I only left her like 20 minutes ago._

The pair was sitting close, whispering and gently laughing at what the other said. By all appearances, they were lost to the world. Their attention solely focused on each other. Which was great for me, as Ino was supposed to be my source of backup.

Luckily, things with Sasuke were running smoothly. As it was still light out, and relatively warm, we'd decided to wander around the lake as opposed to standing near the bonfire. Our conversation was light, and inconsequential, but put me at ease ad drew me in closer to Sasuke.

"So, why did you leave your last school? You seemed to have a pretty good set up there," Sasuke asked, swinging his arms slowly back and forth.

"My mom. She's not the luckiest in the love department and one of her ways of getting over heartbreak is to pack up everything and leave. It's like she's trying to outrun her broken heart or something." I'd never told anyone that before, but something about Sasuke made me feel like I could tell him things.

In the next moments, Sasuke's swinging arm connected with mine and he expertly wrapped his fingers around my hand. The reminder of his dating prowess put me back on edge and I carefully rebuilt the walls I'd been slowly lowering in his comforting presence.

 _Be careful Sakura. He's just playing you. This is strictly business. Don't get too close!_

"Hi, Sakura! Love the outfit!" a totally random girl I'd never even seen in my life commented as she walked passed. It wasn't the first time that night that something like that had happened to me. All evening strangers and people I had a vague notion of attending high school with, had walked up to me, called me by name, and said something nice about me.

For his part, Sasuke seemed utterly unphased by it all, like he was used to strangers coming up to the girls he was with and randomly complimenting him. Though, on second thought, that really didn't seem that strange. He was the most popular guy at school so, of course people would want to try and ingratiate themselves with whoever he was with.

"Your mom sounds interesting." Sasuke commented as if a random blonde hadn't interrupted our conversation. I tried to act as nonchalant about it as Sasuke, but I was not as cool as he was, and it took me an extra second to collect myself.

"Yeah. She is," I said. My inability to hold a halfway decent conversation sent Sasuke's attention elsewhere and I scrambled for a more intelligible, interesting thing to say. "It's almost like having an emotionally immature older sister. Sometimes I feel like I'm the mom and she's the daughter."

All the vulnerability and sharing started making me feel really uncomfortable, like I had bugs crawling over and underneath my skin. I quickly began searching for a change in topic, something related, but not about me.

"What is your family like?" I asked, dreading the spotlight I was not used to inhabiting. Sasuke, always one to enjoy the spotlight, and any opportunity to talk about himself, quickly began a saga of his early childhood and family life.

 _This really seems to be going along quite well. I think we may have a chance with this whole plan. Woo! Go me! Go me!_

* * *

The evening quickly cooled off and the couples, and a few singles, who were still hanging around the park, descended on the roaring bonfire. It's welcome heat drew us in like, well, like moths to a flame. As the fire blazed, it's reflection danced across the water in a mesmerizing way.

Sasuke, doing his best romance-movie-leading-man impression draped his jacket over my shoulders when he saw me shiver and wrapped his arm around me as we sat by the red and orange flames. Our conversation, which had been a little more on the deep and meaningful side earlier on, had turned light and flirtatious.

"The fire light really compliments you. Brings out your eyes and makes you look absolutely stunning." Sasuke spoke, his voice low and husky. He was leaning in, almost as if to kiss me. I panicked and looked down at the ground, not ready to kiss him yet and not a fan of public displays of affection.

Instantly, I worried that my actions might have upset him and ruined this otherwise amazing date. Thinking on my feet, I took his hand in mine, playfully running my thumb over his. Then, I looked back up at Sasuke through my eyelashes in what I hoped was a coy, flirtatious way.

"You look good in any light. Really it's quite intimidating." I tried to infuse my words with as much awe as possible, while still keeping a joking edge. Luckily, Sasuke picked up on both and we began playfully ribbing each other.

 _Nice save, Sakura!_

Eventually, it became too cold to sit outside, even with the heat from the flame, and people began to leave. I was anxious to get home and have this date over with; the call of my comfy joggers and my soft bed was getting really strong. However, a part of me was also a little apprehensive about heading home. The end of the date would mean a goodnight kiss and I had very little experience kissing romantically.

 _Read none. The only boys I'd kissed were cousins and one bespectacled boy during an elementary game of spin the bottle and there was absolutely nothing romantic about it._

I began looking around for Ino, hoping I could sneak off with her for a few seconds and discuss techniques and what not to do. However, even after scouring the entire visible park area, I couldn't find hide nor hair of the blonde.

 _Oh great, just when I actually need her she's gone and disappeared! Probably making out with Shikamaru or someone else she met today._

I was officially on my own. I kept looking over at Sasuke as he drove the quiet streets to me house, trying to read his emotional state. What I could discern from my brief glance was that he seemed just as relaxed and unworried as he had all evening. Maybe I should just put it all in Sasuke's hands, let him take the proverbial wheel and stop worrying about it all.

We pulled up to my house and Sasuke quickly cut the engine of his fancy sports car and hopped out. I sat in the passenger seat, pressing my increasingly sweaty palms into my lap in an attempt to dry them. Before I knew it, Sasuke was opening my door and helping me out.

"I had a good night," Sasuke spoke as we stood on the sidewalk in front of my house. His hands were in his pocket and, for the first time I'd ever seen, his posture exuded a feeling of slight awkwardness.

"Yeah, it was nice. My old school never put on things like bonfires," I responded, just as awkward. It was as if whatever ease and flirtatiousness we'd had before evaporated. Maybe we wouldn't kiss, and all my concerns would be for naught.

 _And then, fate intervened._

As we stood there, awkwardly saying out goodbyes, the sprinkler system clicked on. Water began spraying at us, soaking both Sasuke and myself. It sent the two of us running towards the safety of my front stoop.

The water seemed to cleanse us of our awkwardness and, as we arrived at my door, sopping wet, slightly out of breath, and chuckling at the hilarity of the situation of it all, Sasuke leaned in and kissed me. It was a sweet kiss, tender and apprehensive. I was just starting to really enjoy it when a shock passed through my chest.

I pulled away, twitching as another shock occurred. The camera that Tenten had given me was short-circuiting!

"Thank you for an awesome night!" I called to Sasuke before jumping into my house and shutting the door. I pulled off the necklace/ camera as quickly as I could and leaned back against the door, out of breath. Though whether it was from the kiss or the electric shock I didn't know.

 _Oh, what a night it had been. Hopefully, I've hooked Sasuke. I know he's definitely hooked me._

 _To be continued…_


	13. Chapter 12: Unsolicited Advice

**-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own any recognizable content_

 **-Chapter Twelve-**

 **-Unsolicited Advice-**

* * *

 _My date with Sasuke went absolutely amazing. And it ended with a breath taking kiss that was, quite literally, shocking!_

* * *

I raced up the stairs, pulling the bauble necklace off my body and flinging it onto my bed. I headed to the hall bathroom, grabbed one of the plushy towels that hung over the towel bar and began drying myself off. As I did so, quick, light footsteps came up behind me. Living with her for seventeen years, I instantly recognized the footsteps as belonging to my mother.

"How'd it go?" my mom sing-songed. Her facial expression, however, did not match her tone. She sounded happy, but with her knitted eyebrows, tightly pressed lips, and concerned, searching look in her eyes, she looked more worried than happy.

"Fine. Why?" I asked, a little apprehensive.

 _Normally, my mom and I had a close, almost sisterly relationship. I told her everything, kept no secrets from her. At times, during my most invisible, my mom was my only friend. However, in the last few weeks, I'd started to feel distant. Maybe it was typical teenager hormonal changes (don't all girls go through a fighting-with-their-mom-and-hating-her-guts period?) or maybe it was my finally making friends. Now that I had them, I wasn't so heavily reliant on my mom. Whatever it was, when my mom tried to talk to me in that fake cheerful way, I felt like lashing out at her._

My mom's face cracked, her smile slipping off her face. When she spoke, her voice was no longer that fake sugar sweet tone. "I'm just worried about this whole thing, Cherry Berry. You've never had a boyfriend, never been in love. I'm worried about whether or not you're being careful, protecting your heart. I've know a lot of guys like Sasuke. They're only after one thing and when they get it, they'll leave you heartbroken and they won't even care. Just be careful, please."

"I am being careful!" I snapped, pulling off my wet, clingy top and tossing it near my laundry basket. "But I find all of this a little rich coming from you. I've learned to be careful by watching you. I know what things Sasuke is after and when he's using a line or a move from some playbook because I've watched literally every guy you've ever dated do those exact same things. I know to be careful because I've had to pick you up from heartbreak half a million times. I'm good!" I angrily grabbed up some dry pyjamas and stormed out of my room.

 _I am literally the only person in this whole thing that hasn't fallen for an asshole! I DO NOT need a hypocritical lecture on protecting my heart in this whole situation._

* * *

When I woke up the next morning, Sunday, I was still in the foul mood my interaction with my mom had left me in. I was upset by her hypocrisy and that, especially in this matter, she'd decided to mother me after doing no such thing for many years. More often than not, I was the one left responsible for the mothering.

I walked down to breakfast, not expecting my mother to be up so early on a Sunday, but I found her sipping a warm cup of coffee. Had it been any other morning, I would have cheerfully greeted her and hummed as I went about preparing my breakfast. However, my mood robbed me of any desire to do either.

"Morning, Sakura," my mother spoke. Her tone sounded put out that I hadn't said it first. A strong desire to lash out at her childish behaviour, but I bit my tongue. I was the mature one; I would not stoop to her level.

I continued soundless making my way around the kitchen, preparing my traditional breakfast of oatmeal with nuts and berries. My mother continued loudly sipping, almost slurping, her coffee and staring me down. It felt as if she was expecting an outburst from me, waiting for it almost. I fought really hard not to take the bait, which just seemed to upset my mom more.

"What is going on with you?" my mom finally snapped. "We've never fought like this before. You've never given me the silent treatment. If either one of us was ever mad at the other, we'd talk it out. It's like you've become a different person since meeting those girls and starting this harebrained plan to break a man's heart at the expense of your own! You are not the Sakura I raised anymore!"

"YOU RAISED?" I snapped back, no longer able to bite my tongue and readily stooping down to my mother's level. "You raised? Mother, you haven't done a lot of raising since I was like nine. You may not have noticed it, but I've been basically raising myself. Your focus, unfortunately, has been solely on your love life and the absolute trash you choose to go out with. Maybe I've always been this way, I've just hidden it and meeting the girls made me finally show you the Sakura 'you' raised!" I stormed out of the kitchen, my breakfast forgotten in its half-prepared state.

I stormed through the house, grabbed my mom's keys and headed out the door to the alleyway were her car was parked. I needed to get out of the house, away from my mom; I didn't care if I was still in my pyjamas. I wasn't thinking clearly.

It wasn't until I'd driven down the street and stopped at a four way stop that I finally took a moment to think. I'd never been this upset at my mom before, so I hadn't needed a place to retreat too. Now that I did, I wasn't sure where I should go.

 _Okay, Sakura, think. Where can you go before eight on a Sunday morning? In you pyjamas? I really don't do well when I don't think._

As I sat at the stop sign, thankful that the street was not busy, my phone chirped. I pulled it from my pocket and checked the message. Reading it over, a realisation came over me. Finally having a potential destination, I put the car back I gear and began to drive once again.

* * *

 _ **Hey girlie! It's Tenten! You seem to have shorted my video feed? What did you get up to last night? ;P Let me know. I'm free all day today so feel free to talk any time! Hina's here and I really need a distraction from her animal rights lectures. Please come save me!**_

* * *

"The sprinklers went off, which seemed to create a romantic atmosphere and led to our kiss, but also short circuited your camera," I explained as I lounged on a plush sectional sofa in Tenten's basement. I'd just spent the past twenty or so minutes regaling her with the events of the previous night. She and Hinata had holed up at the brunette's house after they'd left mine. They'd been watching the video the necklace was transmitting, but both girls were excited to hear my recap.

"Yeah, I'm still working on waterproofing. Though, why did your sprinklers go off at night?" Tenten responded. She was sitting on the other end of the couch, her legs tucked up under herself.

"It's better to water in the evening or early in the morning so the water isn't evapor-" I was cut off in my explanation by a slightly annoyed Hinata.

"Enough about the sprinklers! I want to hear more about the kiss! What did it feel like?" Hinata was ungracefully sprawled on a large chair off to my right. As she spoke, she leaned in closer to both me and Tenten.

I blushed a little at the thought of having to discuss relatively private matters of my romantic life. However, seeing the expectant looks on the two girls' faces I did as I was asked. I described, as best I could, the almost intoxicating heat that spread throughout my entire body at the contact. I talked about how sweet and soft the kiss was. Essentially, I dissected every second of the brief, yet nearly perfect, kiss.

Tenten and Hinata cooed, ooed, and awed in all the right places. When I was done, they both squealed before almost simultaneously bombarding me with further questions. I tried my best to answer, but, at some point, the three of us began giggling uncontrollably and it became increasingly hard to form coherent thoughts.

 _I have to admit, I was a little worried about telling the girls about my date, but Tenten and Hinata seem to be taking it quite well. They're acting almost like excited girl friends instead of angry and/ or jealous ex's._

We stayed at Tenten's for the rest of the morning and even into the afternoon. We gossiped and watched a couple of cheesy high school rom coms. All the while, we texted Ino, trying to get her to join our bonding session, but the blonde didn't respond, or even read, our texts.

Finally, at just after two, Hinata's phone chirped. We hoped it was Ino, but it was the raven-haired girl's older cousin, letting her know that he was waiting outside for her.

"As fun as this has been, I have a long and awkward family dinner to attend," Hinata spoke, gathering her scattered clothes and other belongings from their various locations in Tenten's basement. At her words, the brunette also shot up and bounded out of the room. Hinata and I looked at each other, both expressing that we found the brunette's actions surprising and puzzling, before hurrying after her.

We didn't catch up to Tenten until we were at Hinata's cousin, Neji's car. She was leaning in through the window, animatedly talking with the male in the driver's seat.

"Please Neji! My only prototype got fried in a freak romantic-encounter-sprinkler-incident. I don't have enough time to work on it by myself right now. Crazy amounts of schoolwork and extra-currics. I need your help and electrical engineering prowess." Tenten was begging Hinata's cousin to help her fix her tiny camera and doing it in quite the flirtatious manner.

"Hmm," Neji responded, though whether or not it meant yes, no, or I'm hungry, I couldn't tell. For her part, Tenten obviously did. She squealed, high-pitched and girly and began jumping up and down.

 _Now, admittedly, I had only known the girl for about two months, but I had never seen her act like that. She was friendly, out-going, and personable, but not bubbly. Tenten was much too serious and focused to be really bubbly._

Tenten seemed to realise this as she quickly collected herself. "Thank you, Neji! I really appreciated it!" she said, stepping back from the car. Hinata gave her a worried look as the raven haired girl loaded her things and herself into her cousin's car. Tenten, standing beside me, looked a little dazed, almost like she was coming back from an out-of-body experience.

"You okay?" I asked, as Neji and Hinata pulled away. Tenten just nodded. Then, in a trancelike state, she walked back towards her house. I quickly followed after, worried she might hurt herself.

* * *

 _A girl behaving strangely in a guy's presence? Sounds like our little Tennie might have a crush. Isn't that sweet!?_

* * *

 _To be continued…_


	14. Chapter 13: Girls' Night In

**-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own any recognizable content._

 **-Chapter Thirteen-**

 **-A Girl's Night In-**

* * *

 _After my date with Sasuke, I got into it with my mom. She was giving me hypocritical advice and I wasn't going to stand for it. That didn't mean I was changing my personality, changing who I was. Did it?_

* * *

The week after my date with Sasuke flew by in a heady romance-filled cloud. Sasuke and I didn't share more than a few glances in the hallway and a brief, almost clandestine, hand-touching incident. However, those small instances were enough to keep my high going. I don't remember a lot of what else happened that week.

 _Hopefully I don't have a test coming up!_

I was also having trouble reminding myself of why I was doing this, why I was dating Sasuke in the first place. He had quite a magnetic spell and power about him. No wonder Ino, Tenten, and Hinata were so hell bent on revenge. Coming out of that spell would be a rude awakening for sure.

My only saving grace in the whole thing was that our interactions, Sasuke's and mine, were so limited. We were not officially dating; we'd only been on one date and Sasuke claimed that he wasn't allowed to openly date during basketball season. Really, Sasuke didn't want to be too public with one girl so he could keep his options open. But, what would have been a point of contention were we actually dating kept me from falling head-over-heels for a jerk.

 _Maybe I should give my mom the benefit of the doubt…_

 _No! My mom is an adult, not a hormonal teenager! My mom has dated countless men. She's not being swept up by the romance and emotions of her first ever relationship. My mom is a mom and she should start acting like it!_

The girls seemed to recognize the effects Sasuke was having on me. I was trying to hide it, trying to suppress and act as normal as possible, but these girls all had a fair amount of experience with the ways and effects of Uchiha Sasuke. Despite my best efforts, the three of them picked up on this, and confronted me about it on Friday.

 _I knew I was in trouble when I saw all three of them headed my way. We were very careful about not being seen all four of us together. So this was serious._

"Sakura!" Hinata called. I was turning down the front walk of the school, heading to my house. When I heard her, I turned, happy to hear her. Now that we were a significant percentage of the way through our plan, and I was more comfortable with the situation and the players, hearing my name shouted by one of the three girls no longer sent dread and terror coursing through my veins.

"Hey, girls." Taking in the sight of all three coming at me did worry me a little, but I tried to hide it with a fake, plastered on smile.

"Good. We caught you!" Tenten spoke, skipping down the front steps of the school towards me. "We were hoping to find you at your locker, but _someone_ took their sweet time packing up." At the end of the statement, the brunette shot the blonde an angry glare that the blonde ignored.

Instead, she addressed me, "we thought it would be a good time for a girls' weekend. We hung out last weekend, but that was date prep. This would just be a weekend for us! You in?" Ino had an innate ability to ask questions in such a way that gave the person answering only one way to do it. In this instance, I could either say yes or turn down time with the trio and, by extension, their friendship.

"I'm in," I said, choosing my only real option, but also agreeing with Ino. It had been last Sunday, as Hinata, Tenten, and I essentially wasted away an afternoon just being in each other's presence that I was truly able to appreciate what having friends felt like. I hadn't ever really had friends, not ones where I could just spend hours doing nothing with. When I was young, all of my 'friends' had resulted from pre-arranged play dates. Having real friends for the first time felt absolutely fantastic and I wanted to spend as much time with them as possible.

"Excellent. I'll drive!" Ino responded. At her voluntary statement, Hinata's, Tenten's and my face drained of blood and became pale and ghostly white.

 _Ino + driving = major problem and potential bodily harm_

* * *

Ino driving didn't last very long. We nearly collided with my chemistry teacher leaving the parking lot and Tenten took over, despite the fact that it was Ino's car. The blonde pouted the rest of the ride, but Hinata and I felt so much better about the situation.

First, the girls had to pack overnight bags. Last weekend, they had discovered the necessity of this as I had neither the style nor size of clothes required by the girls and, according to Ino, my beauty and personal care items were woefully lacking. We were slowly developing a friendship, but we were still four very different people. Sharing would take some time.

Once the girls had their clothes and personal care items, we headed to the local corner store for provisions. We needed sweets, chocolates, chips, and drinks (non-alcoholic despite Ino's protests); the girls had basically cleared my house out last weekend. Restocking was an absolute necessity.

 _For skinny girls they could sure pack away the junk food!_

We finally arrived back at my house an hour after school let out. I hadn't told my mom that I would be sidetracked on my way home, but normally it wasn't a big deal. My mom worked mid-afternoon shifts so she wasn't usually home when I got back from school. However, on that particular afternoon, apparently it was a big deal.

 _My house had become our unofficial hang out location, probably because my mom was so cool and accommodating. I'm pretty sure she was the only parent we'd told about our plot and, not only had she not gotten upset, angry or judgemental (at the time), she'd given us some advice. After the way my mom reacted as we entered the house that afternoon though, I wasn't so sure that assessment would stand._

"Where have you been?" my mom shrieked as we walked through the door, doing her best impression of Molly Weasley from Harry Potter. Ino, Tenten, Hinata, and I had been joyfully chatting only moments before but were quickly enveloped by silence when my mom had spoken.

"Hi mom," I said, trying to act as normal as possible, like my mom's reaction wasn't a great big deal. "My friends are going to stay over tonight and we needed supplies." To help make my point, the four of us raised out hands clutching bags of food and other sleepover supplies. That seemed to satiate my mom for the time being, but I could tell I would be hearing about this later, when we didn't have company.

 _Later, when we aren't being observed all her anger is going to come out. Maybe I can leave with the girls._

"Okay, well, don't make a mess," my mom spoke lamely before grabbing her purse and keys. I had no idea where was going and, frankly, given my current attitude towards her, I didn't really care.

"Okay girls, let's do this thing."

* * *

"Your turn Tenten. Truth or dare?" Ino asked, flinging around a cherry twizzler as she spoke. We'd been going through all of the stereotypical sleepover moves: makeovers; chick flicks; facemasks; eating a crap ton of junk food; etc. now, we were playing the quintessential sleepover game, truth or dare. Ino, as the three of us were quickly discovering was a vicious and somewhat vindictive darer. She'd already dared sweet Hinata to call up one of her other friends and bad mouth her to her face.

"Truth," Tenten spoke, worried about what Ino would come up with if she chose dare. The blonde was quiet for a second, trying to think which piece of potentially embarrassing, or deeply secretive, information she wanted to pull from the brunette. Finally, a devious smile crossed Ino's face.

"Okay, girlie. My question is, currently, who are you hard core crushing on?" Something in Ino's smile made me think that she already knew the answer to her question and that the brunette's confirmation of what she suspected would be an ace that the blonde could potentially use.

Tenten flushed dark red and looked away from where Hinata and I were sitting. Finally, she spoke softly, "well, it took a couple of weeks to get over the hurt and anger I felt towards Sasuke and what he'd done to all of us. Having this whole thing to work on, and potentially illicit revenge had helped." I had a suspicion that all of this was Tenten's attempt to burry the lead, to loose us to disinterest so we missed when she actually answered Ino's question.

"So, because I've been moving on, I have been open to, as you so eloquently put it, 'hard core crushing' on someone. That person, though I'm not sure how you knew about it, has been extremely helpful in this endeavour, and it is Neji." Tenten mumbled the last part, making it hard to decipher what she said. However, after a second or two, Hinata let out a loud, excited squeal and hurried over to the brunette on her knees. She nearly bowled over the other girl, excited about the news Tenten had just shared.

Ino look satisfied at Tenten's words, like the brunette had confirmed her earlier suspicions, but not as smugly as she normally would have. Perhaps she'd been hoping Hinata, who was related to Neji, would be upset or even angry at Tenten's reaction.

 _Sometimes Ino is totally that stereotypical mean girl cheerleader trying to stir up drama for her own amusement. Better keep a close eye on her._

"Okay," Tenten spoke once she'd extricated herself from the overjoyed raven-haired girl. "Next up is," Tenten reached into a hat to pull out a name, our system for picking turns. "Ino!" At the possibility of getting back at the blonde, a sickly sweet smile crossed her face.

"I'll go with truth. I don't have anything to hide," Ino responded confidently. She stared Tenten down in a battle of wits, but neither girl was backing down.

"My question for you, Miss Confident, is the same. Whom are you hard core crushing on?" Tenten continued to stare down the blonde, who returned the stare with no perceptible falter.

"That's such a waste of a truth question. I would have volunteered that information without this silly game. I went with Shikamaru to the bonfire. I wouldn't have done that if there wasn't some spark of interest with him. Plus, he's a really good kisser." Ino said it so nonchalantly that I couldn't help but feel like she was trying so hard to downplay it.

 _Me thinks that there might be more than a spark of interest. Is Ino maybe falling for him?_

 _Okay, I'm going to level with you here. Shikamaru is friends with Sasuke. They have been for years, since like kindergarten according to Naruto. Their longevity is one of the reasons they still spend time with each other now. Neither one is really like the other. They have different interests, would normally be in different social circles, and not associate. So, even though Shikamaru is technically popular he is not Ino's typical choice in romantic partner._

 _Perhaps she's embarrassed and worried about admitting her true feelings because of how it could reflect back on her._

Tenten and Hinata ribbed Ino about her admission for a few seconds, before the blonde got annoyed and a little irate, and snapped at them. She then insisted on continuing the game and reached into our hat. A worrisome smile crossed the blonde's face.

"Your turn Sakura," she sing-songed, "truth or dare?" I know I should have picked truth. Ino was vindictive with her dares when she wasn't upset, and she was currently in a foul mood thanks to the ribbing. Picking dare would not be the smart choice. But, I'd played it safe and smart my whole life until I'd met these girls. They'd brought out my daredevil side, made me want to take risks. So I did.

"I'm going to go with dare," I spoke confidently. Ino nearly squealed with excitement before pondering what she should make me do. As she was thinking, Sasuke's car drove down my street, slowing slightly as he passed my house.

 _Some things I've left out. Earlier that afternoon, as we sat outside Hinata's house waiting for her to grab her things, Sasuke texted me. He asked me out, to go see a movie that night. I'd been momentarily tempted, feeling that pull. Luckily, Ino jumped in, grabbed my phone, and texted Sasuke that I needed a girl's night._

 _However, it seemed like Sasuke couldn't stand not seeing me for a weekend. Since shortly after dinner, he'd driven past my house about half a dozen times. It was somewhere between adorable and creepy._

Ino smiled wider. "I dare you to call Sasuke and make it seem like you don't know it's him and you think there's a stalker." It was a relatively tame dare and one I readily accepted, pulling out my phone and calling Sasuke's number.

As it rang, I watched Sasuke's car slow even further before pulling off to the side of the road two houses down. He shut off the car before answering my call.

"Change your mind about the movie?" He asked, forgoing the social conventions of a typical phone call. I took a breath and then tried to make myself sound as concerned as possible.

"No. I was calling because there's this creepy car that keeps circling my block." As I spoke, I heard a rustling and banging coming from the other end of the phone and watched the figure of Sasuke in his car attempt to slouch down out of sight.

"Oh?" he responded, trying to sound concerned. Ino, Hinata, and Tenten stifled laughter. I'd turned on my speakerphone so they could hear but in exchange the other girls needed to be quiet.

"Yeah, he's driven by like six times. The girls and I are worried he's gonna like break in or something. I was wondering if you could be our knight in shinning armour and come scare him away." There was more banging on his end and the sound of his car starting up and more stifled laughter on ours.

"I'll see what I can do," he said over the sound of his engine.

"Oh! You know what," I said, thinking fast. I wasn't sure if he'd actually 'show up' at my house, but I didn't want to tempt it. If he did, he would find the four of us together and potentially ruin our plan. "My neighbour two doors down has a shot gun. I'll just call him! You don't have to change your evening plans!" I hung up before he could say anything else and he took off in his car. The girls and I broke out into belly splitting laughter, collapsing on top of each other in our absolute joy.

* * *

 _After we'd gotten control of ourselves that night, we decided if I'd gotten Sasuke to the point of stalking me, we should let him take me out on a real, non-school sponsored, date._

* * *

 _To be continued…_


	15. Chapter 14: The Second Date

**-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own any recognizable content_

 **-Chapter Fourteen-**

 **-The Second Date-**

* * *

 _In our little plot/ play/ what-have-you, the four of us girls took a weekend off. A weekend to just be four friends in high school. And it drove Sasuke to the point of stalker-hood. So, we figured we'd let him take me on an actual date._

* * *

Ino made us wait until Monday. She said that I'd turned him down over the weekend and I couldn't go texting him for another date right away or it would come across as desperate. Tenten and Hinata readily agreed with her assessment and so, I spent a very long weekend waiting.

I was alone for most of that time. The girls left Saturday afternoon to complete their own various endeavours. My mom didn't come home at all on Saturday. This wasn't strange or worrisome; my mom often vanished for whole weekends, holed up with some sleazy guy in a sex and alcohol-fuelled haze. When she finally showed up on Sunday, stumbling slightly, and in the same clothes she'd had on a Friday night, I knew my guess was correct.

 _I'd gotten good at being on my own. In my most self-reflective moments, I considered the link between my solitary youth and my lack of friends. I was so good at being alone that I had no desire for friends._

Finally on Monday, feeling more confident than I'd ever before, I walked into school and right up to Sasuke. The dark haired boy was casually leaning against his locker, a basketball tucked under his arm and his backpack casually slung over his shoulders. Shikamaru and some of his teammates surrounded him, like the basketball star was holding some sort of court.

"You didn't come on Friday," I stated simply, pouting a little. This was Tenten's idea. We wanted to get a date out of Sasuke, but just asking for one was a sure-fire way to get rejected. However, if we playfully undermined his masculinity, challenged him to prove it, Sasuke would absolutely ask for a date.

My words were meant in relation to the dare I'd completed, asking Sasuke to come save me from a stalker. However, and I could tell from his friends' faces that this was working in my favour, my words were meant to imply that I'd made a booty call and Sasuke had failed to show.

"You called and told me not to. That your neighbour with a shotgun could fix the stalker problem you were having. I thought my coming over would ruin your girls' night," Sasuke responded, puffing himself up so he appeared larger, more masculine.

"I guess, but it would have been a lot better if you had come, like I'd asked you too." I was picturing myself as like a pouty Marilyn Monroe in an old-timey Hollywood movie; I couldn't tell if I was being successful, but in my mind I sure was.

"Well, if you want to see me so badly, come out on a date with me. Friday. Something special and intimate," Sasuke spoke the last of it stepping very close to me, personally close.

"Sounds like a good time. Where would it be?"

"That is a surprise. Just wear a nice, sexy dress. Something fancy," Sasuke then turned and led his friends down the hall, leaving me slightly hot and bothered.

 _Oh Sakura. Be very, very careful with all this._

* * *

This time, I actually got my date outfit from my own closet. I'd bought the little black dress for a dance at a few schools back that I'd hoped a particularly cute boy would ask me too. However, that hadn't occurred and I'd angrily, and slightly heartbrokenly, shoved the dress into the back of my closet and not thought about it. When Sasuke had mentioned that I wear something sexy yet fancy, I immediately remembered that dress.

My mom was on some sort of a tear and had essentially banned the girls from coming over. I think she hoped that not allowing us to spend time together would mean an end to our plan. However, this was the 21st century and you didn't have to be in the same room as someone to have a conversation with them.

On that Friday, I was alone in my room getting ready, but Hinata, and Tenten, and Ino were advising me thanks to the wonders of video conference calls. Hinata and Tenten were at the brunette's house but, for whatever reason, Ino refused to join them.

I was much less nervous this time around and much more receptive to their words of wisdom and advise. They advised me on how to make an elegant messy bun with my hair and how to do the perfect smoky eye. Tenten once again provided me with a bauble camera and, somewhat jokingly reminded me several times that electronics and water did not mix.

Finally, I was declared ready and bid farewell to the girls who would be watching along any way. Just as I was disconnecting my video calls, the doorbell rang. I took a deep, steadying breath and descended the stairs.

This time, my mom wasn't there to answer the door. We'd gotten into a fight when she'd disallowed my friends and she had stormed out like a moody teenager. Because of this, I was forced to pull the door open myself, revealing an impeccably put together Uchiha Sasuke.

He wore dark dress slacks and a pale blue dress suit with the sleeves rolled up. His hair, which was normally spiked up with a lot of product, was instead loosely styled so it looked effortlessly messy. Everything about it combined to create an absolutely desirable male specimen. I was nearly drooling.

"You look amazing," Sasuke spoke, almost breathlessly. For the first time, in all of our interactions, I felt like he wasn't using a line, like he was being completely genuine. I wasn't sure how to handle it, so I figured I'd go with honesty as well.

"You look really good yourself." Sasuke smirked at my comment, that slight moment of vulnerability gone. He then led me down to his car and to our date that evening.

* * *

I was still relatively new to town, having lived here about three months, so as Sasuke drove through the various city streets, I still had no clue where we were going. It was a part of town that I had yet to visit, much more high end and expensive than my normal stomping ground. As I looked at the window displays of glittery silky dresses and gem filled jewellery, I felt slightly self-conscious about my dress.

 _I'd slaved, skimped, and saved for almost five months to afford this dress! It was not some $50 department store find I'd normally go for. And yet it looks incredibly cheep next to all those gorgeous numbers._

Finally, Sasuke pulled up to a gate and spoke in hushed tones to a guard in a small booth. I strained to hear what was being said, but both men were talking far too softly. I'd just have to be patient and find out what the date would be when they got wherever it was they were going.

"Are you sure you can't give me one tiny hint?" I asked. Patience in the face of surprise was not a trait I possessed. Throughout the only twenty-minute ride, I'd asked and pestered my date about our destination at least half a dozen times. If I'd been thinking more clearly, I might have been more concerned about how my actions were affecting Sasuke's opinion of me, but I didn't care about that in the moment.

Luckily, Sasuke was taking my impatience very well; chuckling at my obvious irritation and finding my almost constant questioning adorable as opposed to annoying. In fact, being away from school and people we knew, Sasuke appeared and acted like a completely different person. He chuckled more, smiled wider, and seemed genuinely interested in me, and my opinions and interests.

Normally, Sasuke was arrogant and puffed up. He played the roll of god of the school extremely well. It was all about him, and the women and girls that flocked to him were merely objects to use and dispose of. That was certainly the way he acted with Ino, Tenten, and Hinata. Yet, alone in his car, I didn't seem to see any of that arrogance and misogyny.

 _Be careful Sakura. This may just be another part of his playbook. Don't get suckered! Don't fall for it! Don't fall for him!_

"Your hint," Sasuke said, a playful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, "is look out the front window." Sasuke had driven through the gate and pulled into a parking spot. He was now gesturing out the windshield, so I turned and looked.

My jaw dropped at the sight that met my eyes.

 _That might be easier said than done. How can you not fall for someone with a sailboat?_

* * *

"You would not want to see me out on the basketball court. I have the exact opposite of hand-eye coordination," I spoke, my voice filled with laughter. Sasuke and I had been sailing around a rather large lake on the outskirts of town for about an hour. In that time, our conversation had mostly been self-deprecating and filled with laughter. It was nice, and a little strange, to hear the normally extremely self-assured male ribbing himself about the amount of time he spent in front of a mirror, perfecting his effortless look.

"I don't believe you. You've got great rhythm on the court; the way you move your body in that tiny skirt." Sasuke said. His tone was light and playful, but tinged with the flirtatious husky voice he normally used around girls. I hit him playfully, pretending to be offended by his remark.

"Ino's put in a lot of work. Without her, I'd do the completely wrong thing and ruin the routine." Sasuke smiled, but then turned solemnly, to look out over the water. For a beat, I worried that I'd ruined our playful banter by hitting him, but then he spoke.

His tone was far off sounding. "That was what I was like when I first started basketball. My dad kept pushing me and eventually I improved. I've never been as good as my brother, though." The way he said it, it was like his early memories of basketball were not particularly happy ones.

"Did you enjoy basketball, when you first started?" I asked, trying to figure out why he sounded so sad. Sasuke was again quiet for several seconds before he spoke again.

"No, not really. But basketball is sort of a family tradition. Every male member of my family has, at least played high school hoops. It is expected, basically. And it's expected that we are point guards, and the best on our teams. University scholarships are basically a requirement. I don't know if my parents would consider paying for my schooling if I didn't get one…" Sasuke's voice trailed off.

 _Whoa, heavy. How do you respond to something like that?_

Without thinking too much of it, I took Sasuke's hand in mine and moved to sit closer towards him. I didn't say anything, just drew comforting circles on the back of his hand. This, my intuition told me, was probably the first time he'd ever opened up like that. He'd never been that vulnerably and I couldn't find words appropriate for the situation.

After a few minutes of sitting, hand in hand, Sasuke gently pulled his hand out and dropped his arm over my shoulder, pulling me in closer. For the rest of the evening, neither one of us said anything, but I'd ever been in a more intimate setting.

* * *

 _It may be too late. I may have already fallen for him…_

* * *

 _To be continued…_


	16. Chapter 15: Second Thoughts

**-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own any recognizable content_

 **-Chapter Fifteen-**

 **-Second Thoughts-**

 _Our first date had been perfect. Our second date was something else entirely. Why was I trying to break the heart of this sweet, sensitive boy?_

* * *

I got home Thursday night after my magical, wondrous, fantastical date from Sasuke and found the house empty. My mom was gone, nowhere to be seen and without so much as a note letting me know when she'd be home.

 _As terrible as this is going to sound, I wasn't surprised by my mother's increasingly frequent and lengthy disappearances. It was a little bit of a pattern for her. When she first met a new guy, she would all but vanish. Teenage daughters were often a deal breaker so my mom tried to keep my existence a secret for as long as possible and spend essentially all her time at the guy's place._

 _Also, it was nice to be alone so I could relish in my post-date endorphin and fuzzy feeling haze without her judgement bringing me down._

I floated through my house, gathering snack foods and heading up to my room. I turned my phone off so I wouldn't be disturbed by anyone and torn out of my happy state. I was incommunicado for the rest of Thursday evening, and it was absolutely extraordinary.

However, my bubble burst the next day at school only seconds after I stepped foot onto the school grounds. I was instantly accosted by three harangued looking girls.

"What happened? What happened? What happened?" the three asked, over and over again and at the same time. It resulted in an utterly unintelligible cacophony and all I could do was stand there shocked, blinking at the distressed Hinata, Tenten, and Ino.

"What happened last night?" Tenten asked, silencing the other two. She had always been the most collected of our little group and, at this apparent crisis, took charge.

"Umm, I went on a date with Sasuke and then turned my phone off and then had an evening alone watching Netflix," I responded, not sure why the girls were so upset. They'd known what I was doing that night, aside from maybe the Netflix thing. It wasn't like I'd up and vanished.

"We get that, but WHAT HAPPENED?" Ino asked, on the verge of hysterics. I was really, super confused.

 _Okay girls. What is going on? Why are you so panicky? I'm missing some major piece of information here. Fill a girl in!_

Not sure how to respond to the utterly confusing hysterics I was facing, I chose to not respond. Instead, I just stood in front of the three girls, my friends, and blinked at them. With my words failing me, I tried to make my expression look as confused and puzzled as possible.

Finally, Tenten seemed to clue in to my confusion and, taking a calming breath, explained. "So, the last time you wore my necklace camera, you fried it, and I had to fix it. Well, apparently I hadn't fixed it well enough. It cut out when you and Sasuke pulled up to the marina."

Understanding spread throughout my being.

 _They were so panicky because they had no idea what Sasuke and I had done. To be honest, I'd totally forgotten about the camera. And, it was probably a good thing that the camera cut out. Sasuke opened up to ME. He shared those things with ME. The other girls didn't need to know what he'd said._

"-out of range or something. Then you turned your phone off so we still couldn't reach you. It made us freak out a little." As I came out of my own thoughts and back to reality, it was to Tenten's continued explanation of their side of the night. I wasn't sure how much I missed, but I tried my best to make it seem like I'd been listening the whole time.

"You'll have to fill us in on what happened on your date." Ino added, looking around a little suspiciously as she did, "but not here. There are too many people looking at us."

 _Ah yes. We are not all friends. We must keep this all a secret._

* * *

We walked into the audio-visual center, our meeting place at school. It was the only place at school where we didn't have to worry about who might see us interacting. That room, filled with screens and computer towers was like our little refuge. Once we were safe in our fortress of solitude, I began filling the three anxiously awaiting girls in on what happened the night before.

 _Okay. Mostly. I mostly filled them in. There were some details that I don't think I would ever share with anyone. Sasuke opened up to me, about things I am pretty sure he's saved for only a few select people._

"Awe! A boat! That's so romantic! We've never been on a boat before!" Hinata gushed, her voice filled with genuine sincerity and not even the smallest hint of jealousy.

"I think this is an excellent sign. He must be further into this relationship than he ever was with us!" Tenten responded, her tone business like. She immediately turned to her computer and began typing rapidly on her keyboard. "I think we're almost ready to put this whole relationship to the test. The away game is only a few weeks away so we are right on track."

"Excellent! I can't wait to tear him down, break his heart, and smash it right into the ground," Ino giggled manically, like an evil genius in a Bond movie.

"Okay. That's a little overboard there Ino. We will definitely get our sweet revenge, but maybe not quite as Bond-villainy. Maybe more normal-esque revenge." Hinata spoke, pretending to be afraid of Ino or something. The blonde playfully pushed the raven-haired girl and then proceeded to go into extreme detail about what, exactly, she wanted to do to Sasuke. And the entire time, all I could think about was how much I didn't want those things to happen to him.

 _I wasn't an idiot. I knew a lot of the things Sasuke was doing were to string me along, keep me dating him and in the dark about any other girls he might be dating at the same time. But, what he had said last night, the way he opened up and was so vulnerable, there had to be something different to all of that. That had to mean something, and if it meant something, then maybe destroying him wouldn't be such a good idea._

"How about you, Sakura? I know you haven't been hurt by him yet, but think about all those sleazy, terrible guys your mom has ever dated. What would you like to see done to them? Use Sasuke as your revenge to get back at them." Ino asked. She had an evil glint in her eyes that, for the briefest of moments, robbed me of my words.

"I –um –well –I'd like to see those people, those jerks, I'd like to see them feeling as devastated and heartbroken as my mom. I'm sure they didn't have to cram down their feelings with countless helpings of chocolate cake frosting. I would love to have them feel that heartbroken. But –" The but came out of my mouth before I could stop it, as if my tongue and lips had a mind of their own. However, I hoped that no one had noticed.

Hinata and Tenten were staring at the computer, whispering quietly to themselves about whatever was on the screen. They obviously didn't care about Ino's apparent obsession with eviscerating Sasuke. However, I was not so lucky with Ino; she was staring at me like a hawk having sighted prey.

"But… what? What were you going to say?" Ino asked.

"Nothing. It was something stupid," I replied, going with plan B of trying to play off my words. Ino wasn't buying it.

"It wasn't nothing. This is a safe space. You can say whatever it was. No judgement. Well, not judgement in bad faith. I judge, but only because I love you," Ino responded.

 _Wow that was almost a moment of deep introspection. She had some personal growth. Go Ino! Maybe I can trust her and voice my reservations. Here goes nothing._

"Okay. Well, I was just thinking that, um, maybe we're going a little overboard with everything. I mean, I know what it was like, for my mom, the heartbreak and everything. And I can understand the knee-jerk reaction to want to get even but, are we really any better than Sasuke if we go through with it?" As I'd been explaining myself, Hinata and Tenten had disengaged from their previous activity and turned to face me.

"Are you saying you want to stop? That you don't want to go through with our plan?" Tenten asked, horrified. Though whether it was because I didn't want to continue or because her extremely well thought out plan would not come to fruition.

"I'm saying maybe we should rethink our end goal," I stated, hoping it would be enough to change our current topic of conversation.

 _No dice._

"Are you, are you saying this because – are you – do you have feelings for him? Are you in love with him?" Hinata asked, stuttering and flubbing her words as she tried to organize her thoughts.

"You can't!" Ino screamed, standing up and sending her chair flying out behind her. "You promised! You would date Sasuke in order to help us. That was the plan. Not – not this!" Ino lunged at me, like she was trying to start a catfight or something. Having never been in a fight, I froze. Luckily, Tenten had cat-like reflexes and managed to jump in between Ino and I.

"Okay, let's take it easy. There's no need to fight. We all know about the Sasuke charm and how irresistible it can be. Let's not do anything rash or right this minute. I say, we take the day, let things simmer and settle down, and then we can revisit all of this, like, tomorrow. How does that sound? Good? Okay!" As Tenten spoke, she gently pushed the two of us apart and toward the door.

* * *

 _Whelp. I just might have lobbed a grenade into this whole thing. Hopefully, there isn't too much collateral damage…_

* * *

 _To be continued…_

* * *

"Hey! Neji!" Tenten called, her shoulder bag swinging slightly wildly as she went. At the sound of his name, the boy slowed his walk to a virtual stop. Tenten took a few more hurried loping steps before she caught up.

"How are you?" Neji asked, a crooked smile on his face. He always spoke in a very formal way, a result of his highly formal upbringing, but that small smile he gave her was a special little signal.

"I'm good. Look, I hate to do this to you but I need a favour." Tenten spoke, making puppy dog eyes in an attempt to help her case. She needed a huge favour.


	17. Chapter 16: Let the Games Begin

**-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own any recognizable content._

 **-Chapter Sixteen-**

 **-Let the Games Begin-**

 _I'd begun to doubt our plan to bring down Sasuke. After actually spending time with him and actually getting to know him, I'd recognized a vulnerability about him, and maybe tearing him down wouldn't be as sweet a revenge as we thought it was._

* * *

The next day, a very smug-looking Tenten met me in the school's front courtyard. Her arms were crossed in front of her and a triumphant smile was plastered on her face. I was a little worried as I walked up to her, but, at the same time, nothing really terrible had happened to me as of yet.

"Hey Tenten. How was your afternoon?" I tried to play cool. Maybe the smug look had nothing to do with Sasuke, the plan, and me. Maybe she'd bested someone in athletics or academics.

 _My plucky optimism was what had kept me going all these years I was essentially invisible. Maybe today someone will talk to me. Maybe at this school, or in this neighbourhood, I would finally make a friend. Maybe that guy smiling at me will ask me out, become my boyfriend, and we could live happily ever after. I had yet to be right (expect maybe the friend and boyfriend thing now), but I kept up with the optimism._

"I have something that you need to see. Hinata and Ino are already waiting for us. Let's go," Tenten spoke. She seemed excited and in a rush, like she couldn't wait for me to see her mysterious something. It made her words and tone sound clipped. Slightly reluctantly, I followed.

 _Whatever this is, I have a feeling it will pop, or most likely violently shatter, the happy little bubble I was living in…_

For the second time in as many days, the four of us girls found ourselves sitting in various chairs in the school's audio-visual lab. Tenten had a small USB stick in the computer, a video queued up on the large screen on one wall. From the slightly quizzical expressions on Hinata's and Ino's faces, I could tell they didn't have an answer to the question of what Tenten had planned to show us.

"Okay ladies. So, yesterday we had a bit of a snafu, with Sakura unsure of whether or not she wanted to continue to seek revenge on Sasuke. I know, as do Ino and Hinata, that Sasuke can be quite charming when he wants to. We can try until we're blue in the face to convince you that it is all an act and that Sasuke isn't really like that, but, when you're in the midst of it, you won't hear reason. To you right now, Sakura, Sasuke is that sweet, charming, and caring person.

"So, instead of trying to convince you of this fact with our words, I thought it would be more impactful if you could see it with your own eyes." To punctuate her little speech, Tenten hit play on the video and sat down to watch the show.

As it started the video picture was black, but a rustling and a distant banging could be heard. Then, lockers and benches came into view. It was currently empty of anything else, but sounds from off camera made it clear that wouldn't be the case for long.

 _Why are we watching a video of a locker room?_

As the video continued, a group of sweaty boys came into view. They were excitedly chatting with each other, individual conversations indistinguishable from the others. In the middle of the group, holding court, was Uchiha Sasuke. The other boys were all members of the basketball team.

Sasuke and the others nodded a friendly acknowledgement to the camera, or, more accurately, the person holding the camera. The basketball players then all busied themselves with the lockers, grabbing water bottles and towels, and starting to get undressed.

 _Whoever is filming this must be using some sort of hidden camera. I don't think the boys would be so free and relaxed if they could see the camera and know they were being filmed._

"So what have you been up to lately, Hyuuga?" Sasuke asked, revealing the identity of the cameraman as most likely Neji. It was getting increasingly difficult to focus on the main point of the video as the extremely fit basketball players in the background lost more and more layers.

"Just… working on things with, ah, Tenten." Neji responded, obviously awkward at bringing up Sasuke's ex-girlfriend or whatever they were. At her name, the boys in the background turned and focused on the pair at the center of the video frame. As they did so, they began ribbing Sasuke and also Neji with comments about the brunette.

"Ah, someone else getting that sweet lovin'?"

"Watch out man, Uchiha here told us she can be quite a boss in the sheets."

"And a freak in the sheets! Girl is adventurous! Right, Uchiha?"

"Don't know why Sasuke ever left that hot piece of ass!"

 _I have to say, it was really awkward and extremely infuriating watching the crass and objectifying comments the members of the team were making about Tenten, especially when sitting right next to the girl in question._

'Don't worry about it,' Tenten mouthed and motioned back to the video. I turned back to watch, just in time to see Sasuke's 'friends' turn the conversation away from Tenten.

"I think he left her for a new piece of ass. A better, hotter one if I do say so myself," one of the team members commented.

"Yeah, Uchiha is so lucky. How do you always get the best girls?"

"Is she a freak between the sheets like the others were?"

"You have been awfully tight-lipped, Uchiha. How is she?"

"Have you even hit that yet?"

The ribbing got more and more and, with each new statement about me, my body, and the crass disgusting things they imagined Sasuke and I had done, I got more and more embarrassed and enraged.

 _Why do guys think this is okay to say about girls? Would they ever say that to my face? Probably not. At least Sasuke is staying out of it, though it would be nice if he stood up for me._

"I'm working on it," Sasuke said, a fake smirk on his face.

"Well, if the new girl ain't gonna give it up, maybe you can find some tail at the away game. There are always girls up for anything at that."

"I was thinking of going with Sakura," Sasuke responded. It was a really sweet moment, him turning down the opportunity for no strings attached sex to be with me, and I was beginning to question why Tenten had been so insistent on showing me this. I mean, from what I'd seen from Sasuke, he was exactly the guy I thought he was and one I wasn't sure I wanted to absolutely destroy.

Then the other boys started ribbing him, calling him a girl and saying that he was whipped, and it was like a switch flipped in Sasuke.

"I'm going to take Sakura and I am going to tap that. Multiple times!" Sasuke spoke to rousing cheers from the assembled boys. He was quickly enveloped in bro hugs and back slaps.

"Then," he spoke again once he was free, "after I've checked that box, I'll totally be up for getting some easy tournament ass with all of you!"

 _Wow. So, this is what heartbreak feels like... I need air/ space/ something. I have to get outta here!_

Without any thought, I stood up and ran out of the room, crashing through things and not really caring about what I destroyed. I just needed out. Away. To not be there anymore.

* * *

I ran home. My whole world had basically been forced to rearrange itself and I couldn't face classes, and learning, and people. I'd thought I'd started to figure out Sasuke, like I was starting to know the real guy behind the act he put on for the whole school.

 _Boy was I wrong._

The crass boy I'd seen in that video did not at all match with the person he'd shown me. I couldn't be sure which was the real Sasuke. So I headed home. I knew my mom wouldn't be home. She'd left the night before and I probably wouldn't see her for at least another 8 hours. That was just fine with me because I wanted to be alone. I needed to think, and figure, and put my reality back on solid ground.

However, the girls –Tenten, Hinata, and Ino- had other plans. They caught up with me just as I was turning up my front walk, though with Ino behind the wheel I was surprised it hadn't happened closer to school. The blonde parked in front of my house, rather haphazardly and with a jerking movement, and the three girls jumped out a descended upon me.

"Sakura!" Hinata was the first of the four of us to speak. "You shouldn't be alone right now. Coming out from under Sasuke's spell can be fairly devastating and being with your friends is the best and quickest way to move on from it." The raven-haired girl put a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah. You were there when we came out of our spells, and we, as good friends, want to be there for you," Ino spoke, "especially since it is sort of our fault that you're going through this."

 _Wow, that's probably the most kind and caring thing Ino's ever said. She's slowly becoming an actual person!_

"And," Tenten spoke, her voice small yet determined, "we still need to figure out what we will all be doing at the upcoming tournament. There's only a little over the week and, as terrible as it sounds, your angry confused state is a good one to be in when brainstorming and plotting revenge."

I was still feeling overwhelmed and dazed by what I'd seen in the video and this resulted in my brain not really functioning. As a result, I agreed to have the girls skip school and come into my house to discuss what we would be doing next weekend.

We gathered around the circular kitchen table, Tenten spreading out papers and documents that must have been relevant to our planning. I didn't bother to look at them, instead choosing to sit back and simply observe the goings on.

"So, as I've said previously, I think we need to test Sasuke's connection to Sakura before we try and break his heart. Otherwise, we won't know if we're succeeding, or just causing a minor annoyance to him." Tenten recapped and explained the situation, as if the three of us hadn't been in this thing from the beginning.

"Well, he said he thinks he's going to get lucky. So, I think we should test him on how far he's willing to go. Normally, Sasuke only goes for the easy lay. If he has to work for it, it usually isn't worth it. If he's developing feelings for Sakura, though, he might be willing to put in the effort," Ino added.

"And I think it will be even better if Sakura doesn't give him what he wants. It'll be a better test; he'll be more likely to keep things going with her; and it won't feel quite like we're prostituting her out for our own gains." Hinata was always the first one to worry about and consider others' feelings. I gave her a thankful smile for that.

"Okay. I think I've got an idea about how we can test, and sexually frustrate, Sasuke at the away tournament. Let's all plan to meet in Sakura's room on the Friday night to plan and then we can pull it all off on Saturday night. Sound good?" Tenten planned, recording this idea on a blank piece of paper. In response to her question, Hinata nodded enthusiastically and I nodded half-heartedly. Ino looked away.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Tenten asked when Ino didn't say anything.

"I do actually. You're taking up most of the evenings of the tournament and maybe some of us had other plans," Ino responded, slightly hastily.

"Oh? And what plans might you have that conflict with our revenge?"

"Well. It's the away tournament. It's usually a great time to be alone. Do you not want some alone time?"

"You think that screwing your boyfriend is more important than getting back at a guy who broke your heart? Fine. We'll just do it without you." Tenten stared Ino down, daring her to pull herself out of the plot. For what might have been the first time in her life, Ino backed down.

"I'm sure I can find time to do both."

* * *

 _We had the next step in our plan and, after watching that terrible video, I was more convinced of the importance of what we were doing than ever. Watch out Sasuke. We're coming for you!_

* * *

 _To be continued…_


	18. Chapter 17: The Final Test

**-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own any recognizable content_

 **-Chapter Seventeen-**

 **-The Final Test-**

* * *

 _Oh, what a crazy rollercoaster I've been on lately. First, Sasuke is a total jerk (see dating three girls at the same time). Then Sasuke is an absolute sweetheart (see romantic moment on his boat). Now I am totally ready to take Sasuke down._

 _Bring on the away tournament._

* * *

The weekend started with all those somehow involved with the Sarutobi High Foxes basketball team boarding several cramped, smelly busses. The players and coaching staff were on one bus, while the cheerleaders, news crew, and other important supporters were on a second bus. This meant I didn't get to sit by Sasuke, but it gave Ino, Tenten, Hinata, and I nearly two hours to work on our plans for the evening.

 _Normally, Hinata wouldn't have attended the away tournament, as, unlike Ino and myself as cheerleaders and Tenten with the school newspaper, Hinata didn't have an official support role. However, last week she joined the school newspaper and earned herself a spot on the bus._

"Okay. Win or lose, your will invite Sasuke over to your room tonight. Imply sex, but make sure not to outright say it. You and Ino are sharing a room, so we'll have to think of some way to pretend to get her out of there so you'll have it to yourself." Tenten plotted.

"How about we find something where I'm actually out of the room?" Ino responded, her tone sugary sweet and so obviously fake. "I did promise Shikamaru some alone time this weekend. I'm sure we can find a secluded corner somewhere. It is a rather large hotel."

"You can't actually leave!" Tenten hissed. She was obviously angry, fists and teeth clenched, but trying to keep her voice low so she wouldn't be overheard. "You need to be in the room with Sakura and the rest of us to make sure this test goes smoothly and doesn't backfire!"

Quickly, Ino and Tenten dissolved into a hushed shouting match. Hinata and I, both sitting at opposite windows, turned away from the two in the aisle. Whatever planning we might have accomplished on our ride up to the tournament location was lost to the pair's bickering.

 _I guess I should explain something to you. Every year, our county puts on this basketball tournament, sort of like a less important, high school version of March Madness. All schools in all the towns and cities in the county get together for a weekend of basketball competition. The location moves around year after year and because of the distance, most of the out-of-town teams rent hotel rooms for their students. It is generally a weekend of lax chaperoning resulting in a lot of drinking and a lot of sex._

 _And this was the weekend that we chose to test my and Sasuke's relationship. He would be expecting to get laid. When he didn't and still stuck around then we would know that he had fallen for me, or was starting too. Then we would strike our final blow._

* * *

The first night of the three day tournament was jubilant in the hotel Sarutobi High had booked its rooms. We'd played two games that day, round robins to help position our team for the final rounds. Both of those games had been extremely easy victories putting us in a great position for the next two days. Everyone was definitely in a mood to party.

The celebrations started in the hotel's ballroom. This was school-sanctioned and, therefore supervised. Most of the people at the tournament began their night in the ballroom, but then would disappear into an unsupervised hallway or hotel room to either get drunk, get high, or get it on (so to speak). Our evening, the one carefully planned by Tenten, with very occasional input from Ino and Hinata, also began in the ballroom.

Ino, the other cheerleaders, and me all took up prominent positions on the dance floor. Tenten and Hinata were nearby in the crowd, carefully observing the goings-on on the dance floor.

 _Cheerleaders seem to feel the need to be front and center, perpetually in the spotlight. This is so foreign to my invisible wallflower sensibilities. But man, is this fun!_

The music in the ballroom was loud, pounding. At points it felt like someone was unnecessarily performing CPR on my chest. I'd never been to a school dance or a party, but this one was exactly what I was expecting. It was so cliché, right out of a teen drama or rom com.

"Look who's coming this way? Staring you down like you're the only girl in this whole place!" Ino spoke the words in my ear, like she was whispering, but the volume of the music made the blonde have to yell in order for me to hear her. As she yelled, she nodded her head across the dance floor. The crowd of people was parting and Sasuke, in all his godlike glory, stepped onto the dance floor.

 _Wow. Okay. Blushing a little. Phew. That is a panty-dropping, baby-making look. Relax Sakura. Act cool!_

Sasuke walked right up to me, ignoring all the other girls eyeing, and some even pawing at, him. Like Ino said, he seemed to only have eyes for me. Wordlessly, Sasuke wrapped his arms around me and pulled me away from the crowd of dancing cheerleaders. Once off to one side, but still the center of attention, Sasuke began dancing with me. He was graceful and moved with a sensual ease that made me both aroused and jealous.

 _If only I could move like that!_

"You're far too good at this," I spoke in Sasuke's ear, pressing my body unnecessarily against his.

"I've been practicing," he responded, looping his arms around my waist and pulling me close. As he did so, the previously pop/electronic dance music that was playing changed to a romantic slow song. It was almost like he knew the change was coming. "I wanted to make this weekend extra special." Sasuke likewise whispered his words sensually into my ear.

 _Dude! Could you make your end goal here any more obvious? You're almost begging for it!_

"Special? Do you have something planned? I was really thinking of just going off to bed. It's been a long day." I punctuated my sentence with a slightly exaggerated yawn and pulled away a little from Sasuke. The girls and I agreed that I needed to play disinterested, hard to get. If I were too eager to jump his bones, our test definitely wouldn't have the desired effect.

In response to my words and actions, Sasuke tightened his grip around me and pulled me closer. "Now that's no fun," he growled seductively into my ear. He then moved his lips slowly from my ear down to my neck, nipping and kissing my skin as he went.

 _He's making it really hard to not jump him right here, on the dance floor, supervisors and other students be damned!_

"You know what would be fun?" I spoke, supressing a moan while trying to make my voice sound as sensual as Sasuke's. At my playful suggestion, Sasuke stopped his ministrations and looked me in the eye.

I smirked at him, before leaning in extremely close, pressing all of my body against his. "I have something I want you to wear. Then, maybe I could be persuaded against going to bed." I purred the words as I spoke. With my body still pressed against him, I could feel his intrigue.

"You want to do some roll playing? I could be down for that. Where is this thing you want me to wear?" Slowly, I pulled myself away from Sasuke and disappeared into the crowd. I watched Sasuke catch the eyes of his friends and nod at them, expressing that he was about to have a very good evening.

I turned away from Sasuke and then searched out Tenten. She and Hinata had gone out to purchase our little surprise earlier that day (Ino and I had been too busy cheerleading), so I figured she would have it. I located the brunette and raven-haired girls, chatting up Hyuuga Neji, approached them, and was given a small black bag with pink tissue paper.

Tenten, Hinata, and I all winked at each other before I melted back into the crowd, reappearing next to Sasuke only a few minutes after I left. I approached him, keeping my distance, and held out the bag.

"Put this on and meet me in my room in half an hour. I'll need a little time to get ready," I said using the bag as a buffer. Once he'd taken the bag, I sauntered back into the crowd and slipped out of the ballroom. Hinata and Tenten quickly, and inconspicuously, followed after me. Ino stayed in the ballroom, grinding up against Shikamaru.

 _In thirty minutes, we will know how far Sasuke has fallen for me and how devastating breaking his heart will be._

* * *

 _What happened next was absolutely epic! And I'm sure it will be discussed in hushed, reverent tones for years to come._

After twenty minutes, definitely enough time for Sasuke to go through the stages of surprise, denial, bargaining, and acceptance, and to put on what was in the small bag, I put the second stage of our test into motion.

 **I hope it fits :P Can't wait to see you in it! I'm seven doors down from you ;P I've counted it several times. Come find me when you're ready!**

I sent the text message, then climbed into bed to wait. Not even a full five minutes after I sent the message, a loud, raucous noise sounded from the room next to mine. Laughter, and joy filled shrieks sounded out in the hallway. Slowly and curiously, I opened the door to my room and stuck my head out in search of the source and cause of the sounds.

A large group of students were gathered around, laughing at something in their midst. I pushed through and, once at the center, discovered the source of the outburst.

Strong, masculine Uchiha Sasuke stood in the midst of the people in a French maid outfit. The skirt barely covered his butt, not to mention his front, and his muscles rippled and bulged out of the top. It was the outfit that I had wanted him to wear to our meet up.

"Oops," I spoke above the noises of the crowd, "I guess I was eight doors down. My bad." Sasuke gave me a mortified look before turning and marching back down the hallway.

 _Our test went perfectly. Sasuke put on the French maid outfit, expecting to have sex with me, but was 'accidentally' instructed to a room with a large, loud party going on! Perfect!_

I waited until Sasuke was halfway down the hall before I went after him. In order for this to be a true success, I needed to make sure we were still okay.

"Hey! Sasuke!" I exclaimed, grabbing for his arm to stop him. "I really am sorry. If you want, we can go back to my room now. I'll make sure to count correctly." Slowly, Sasuke turned to face me, his expression masked by his normal cool indifference.

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not have to wear this any longer. Maybe another night," he spoke before continuing down the hallway.

* * *

 _Success! Broken heart, here we come!_

* * *

 _To be continued…_


	19. Chapter 18: Developments

**-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own any recognizable content_

 **-Chapter Eighteen-**

 **-Developments-**

 _We'd tested Sasuke to see how far we could push him; see how strong our 'relationship' was. Now, all that was left was for us to finally destroy him._

* * *

Sasuke and I avoided each other for the rest of tournament. I was still angry over the whole locker room incident, which then combined with the fact that he'd tried to go through with it during the tournament. I really didn't want to see him and, apparently, neither did Sasuke. Perhaps he was embarrassed or maybe he was mad. Maybe we'd gone too far and he was essentially breaking up with me. I really didn't care what it was in that moment.

Instead of spending time with Sasuke, Hinata, Tenten and I went to the celebratory parties together and then curled up in the other girls' room, eating junk food and watching chick flicks on Netflix. Ino would occasionally join us, but she spent most of her time with Shikamaru.

 _At least one of us is in a happy relationship. Look on the bright side Sakura!_

When I got home on Sunday afternoon, my mom was home. She wasn't eating spoonfuls of chocolate frosting, but she still seemed to be in a funk. Before I'd left for the weekend, when I realised my mom may have been right about this whole situation, I'd tried to apologize. She'd been worried that I would get my heart broken and I did end up with my red, fleshy, blood-pumping organ in tiny pieces. However, my mom was either rushing out of the house or too hung over. Now I was wondering if she was mad at me.

However, I had too much going on in my life at that moment, so I chose to let my mom issues go for the time being. Monday, our first day back at school, would see the back-lash/ aftereffects of our little test. How would the school react? How would Sasuke react? What would it all mean for our relationship?

 _Yeah. I couldn't handle my mom's strange behaviour. She was super low priority._

* * *

Walking into school on Monday, for the first time in months, I was not the topic of conversation. The whispers and fleeting glances were not directed at me, but squarely on Uchiha Sasuke, and they were not talking about the fact that he had led the basketball team to its third straight victory. Instead, the whispers were about what we, the four of us girls, had made Sasuke do. Everyone was talking about Uchiha Sasuke, god of the school, bursting into a party in a risqué French maid's outfit.

Not even a quarter of the senior and junior classes had been at the tournament, yet before the first bell on Monday, every person in the school knew about it. Now, all the four of us had to do was watch the backlash and see where it led us.

As I walked into the building and headed to my locker, conveniently only about fifteen down from Sasuke's, Ino glued herself to my side. She was excited, obviously enjoying all of the gossiping going on around her, and talking a mile a minute.

"How was your weekend? Can you believe all this? I mean I've spread rumours like crazy before, but never at this speed! Everyone knows about it. Like everybody! It's insane! How is Sasuke dealing with this?" At her last question, both Ino and I turned to look down the hallway in the direction of his locker.

Sasuke was there, his head uncharacteristically hung low. From where I stood, it looked like the normally cocky center-of-attention male was trying to be invisible. He didn't want the people who were whispering about him to notice him.

 _Let's just say, he was less than successful._

Ino and I were only standing there for about a minute, looking at the object of our plan of destruction, when he was surrounded by basketball players. The team, who had most certainly known about everything almost as soon as it happened, hadn't brought it up before. They were probably worried about what that would do to their chances of winning the tournament. Now, with the win behind them, the team obviously felt they could now do something about their knowledge.

"Hey, Uchiha. My mom was wondering if you could clean our house," one of the boys ribbed.

"Yeah. How much do you charge for the bedroom?" another added.

"Do you charge extra for extra time? I've got a big house; it might take you a while." The boy who spoke wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, implying it wasn't a house he was talking about, but a part of the male anatomy.

"Tell me it was for some sort of kinky sex game. That Sakura girl seems like she'd be into that sort of thing. I get a wild girl vibe from her."

 _Oh great. I get the shortest gossip reprieve ever! Sasuke is going to drag me into this, make me look like a dominatrix or something and he'll come out smelling like roses. It's just not fair!_

I held my breath and waited for Sasuke to talk. Instead, he just slammed his locker shut and pushed his way through the crowd. He headed off down the hallway, leaving behind a group of shocked jocks and a pair of utterly flabbergasted cheerleaders. When he got about ten steps away, he turned and addressed the people just milling about in the hallway around him.

"You know, I don't associate with those who are bullies. So it's a good thing we won the tournament and basketball seasons is over. Making accusations about me and about Sakura, implying things that you have no idea about, and then using them to cause both of us pain and humiliation are not things I will tolerate. If I hear one more comment from anyone about it, I will go to Coach and the principal and have these issues brought to the proper authorities." Sasuke then continued on down through an absolutely silent hallway.

 _Wow. That was something…_

* * *

 **Tenten and Neji sat huddled around a computer. The brunette was dragging in files, both video and photo stills, into a video editor program. Once she had all of what she wanted uploaded, Neji took over the controls. Tenten was good at a lot of things, but video editing that didn't look kiddie and amateur was not one of those things.**

 **Neji quickly began typing away on the computer, adding in effects and transitions that turned her disjointed clips and pictures into a coherent story. It was sort of an expos** **é, a film showing all of Sasuke's tricks and games, how he operated in order to date multiple girls at the same time and never know about each other. It combined clips Tenten had shot while she was dating Sasuke with some of the hidden camera footage she'd gotten since Sakura had started dating him. And the ending was sure to absolutely break Sasuke's heart.**

 **As Neji worked, Tenten couldn't help but stare. His concentration was a little mesmerizing and Tenten loved how he was muttering to himself as she worked. She thought, because he was preoccupied, she could get away with her unabashed staring, but she was wrong.**

" **You're staring again. Should I be worried about what's on my face?" Neji asked, smirking but not turning away from the screen.**

" **No. Your face is pretty perfect. I just can't seem to look away." Tenten flirted, scooting closer to Neji so their legs touched.**

 **Finally, he finished his editing and turned to Tenten. She hadn't been aware of how much she was leaning in until he turned and their noses touched. The closeness electrified the air and, in one smooth quick movement, they both closed the distance.**

 **The kiss was magic, their mouths moving together perfectly, as if they were performing a well-rehearsed dance. They didn't pull away for several seconds, but when they did, both Tenten and Neji were a little out of breath.**

' **Sasuke who?' Tenten thought as she went in for another kiss, wanting and craving more. Quickly, the video they'd been working on only moments before was forgotten.**

* * *

 _When that video was eventually played, it would definitely not be forgotten._

* * *

 _To be continued_


	20. Chapter 19: Tumbling Down

**-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own any recognizable content_

 **-Chapter Nineteen-**

 **-Tumbling Down-**

 _Sasuke seemed to be handling the aftermath of our little test exceptionally well. He'd managed to keep his head high and even took the bullies down a notch. I, however, was handling it much the same as a toddler would. I hadn't talked to him in several days and had no idea where our relationship stood, but I really didn't care…_

* * *

I was being selfish. I knew it and, based on the fact that she said as much straight to my face, Ino knew it too. There was a bigger plan at work, and I was acting like a child by refusing to talk to Sasuke. I was, for once, putting myself first over the other girls, our plans, everything. And I didn't care about that in the slightest. I was focusing on what I needed at that time to be all right, everything else be damned.

Ino and I had gotten into a loud screaming match earlier that day over that exact point. Ino was mad that I was giving up and ruining our chance not only to get revenge, but also help womankind by calling out a vile man. I was mad that Ino, whose default functioning was selfish, was giving me crap for my one instance of selfishness. It hadn't been a pretty fight and most of the rest of the cheer squad heard us, but I didn't care.

Everything could come tumbling down around me and it would barely register on my radar. I was heartbroken and, at least for that moment, nothing mattered.

It was under this cloud of heartbreak, and anger, and irritation because of my fight with Ino that I walked out of school. I was preoccupied by it all, and not really focusing on the world around me. This was probably the reason why I didn't realise Sasuke was following me, calling my name, and trying to get my attention until he gently touched my shoulder.

 _Okay. So the touch was gentle, but my preoccupied state of mind made the touch much more startling than it actually was._

I sharply inhaled a breath, jumped away from the contact, and sent the textbooks and notebooks held in my arms sprawling out around me. As I tried to gain my equilibrium, I put my foot down on one of my sprawled books and it slipped off the smooth surface. My butt, back, and head cracked against the pavement and a loud, almost involuntary 'fuck!' escaped from between my lips.

 _This felt a lot like a representation of my life up to that point. Everything was coming apart, beating me up, and leaving me lying pathetically on the sidewalk. How had it all come down to this?_

"Oh my god! Are you okay? Did you hurt something?" the panicky voice of Sasuke filled my ears before his face filled my field of vision. He fretted over me, checking for scrapes, breaks, or bruises, before gingerly helping me back onto my feet.

"I'm fine. Just an awkward klutz. I didn't hurt anything except my pride," I responded. I was still a little dazed and must have temporarily forgotten that I was so incredibly mad at him. This was why I allowed him to pull me into a hug and stroke my hair, trying to calm me down and probably check my face for any bumps.

I just stood still for several seconds, locked in Sasuke's embrace before my thoughts recollected themselves. I gently pushed Sasuke away and thankfully, he didn't resist. Wanting to avoid him, his eyes, his body, his words, I began collecting my spilled belongings. Once that was done, I wordlessly continued down the street to my house.

Sasuke chased me down, stood in front of me, and put his hands on my arms to stop my progress. "Are we okay?" he asked softly.

 _Totally honest moment here. The expression on his face when he asked me that nearly broke me. He was so vulnerable, more than I've ever seen him be before, and so genuinely concerned. I almost up and forgave right then and there. But then I remembered the locker room and all my anger came flooding back._

"I don't know. Are we? Or are you just wondering because you can't check me off your list yet? If you want to move on to some easy tournament tail, why don't you?" I spat at Sasuke before trying to get around him and continue on my way to my home.

Sasuke didn't move and continued to block me. "Wh- what are you talking about?" He sputtered his words and it was probably the first time in the months I'd known him that I ever saw him flustered. That fact made me feel a little better about the situation, and I used that, combined with my infuriation, to confront and stare down the attractive boy standing before me.

"I heard what you said in the locker room before the away tournament. How I was just a box on your checklist and you were going to mark me off at the tournament and then move on to one of the girls that were basically throwing themselves at you. So, if that's what you really want, you can go on and do that! You won't get to check me off, but I'm sure you'll get over it." I then pushed past Sasuke, our shoulders colliding and him spinning in the same direction as I was going. His arms went up in a 'what' expression and his words seemed to fail him.

I continued to storm away, not caring about Sasuke or the state I'd left him in.

* * *

I spent the evening holed up, my phone off and all social media accounts unchecked. I wanted to forget the world, to get lost in a movie with a predictable plot and a happy ending. I wanted to turn off my brain and just not think or feel for an evening. So that was exactly what I did.

When I walked into school the next morning, I was feeling marginally better. Sometimes, especially when it looks like your life is going to hell in a hand basket, you need the escapism of a mindless movie in order to feel better about life. However, my small improvement was definitely not enough to prepare me for what awaited me in the hallways of my high school.

 _Though, to be fair, I don't think anything could have prepared me for that…_

Hinata met me outside the front door, a strange expression on her face. I didn't think too much of it, as unexpected appearances and strange expressions had become a commonality in my life. We walked into the building, the raven-haired girl practically bouncing and my suspicion increasing.

And then I saw it.

It was almost impossible not to see it. Every surface in the front atrium was plastered with photos. They were photos of me, taken at school, at basketball games, and on the dates I'd gone on with Sasuke. Each picture made me look like a model, more beautiful than I ever thought that I could be.

 _Wow, he's actually a really good photographer._

At first, I was too embarrassed by the barrage of images of myself to look to closely. It was Hinata who pointed it out to me. On some of the photos, there was writing, a message to me. I walked up to the photo closest to me and read what it said.

'Sakura, I've been an ass. I've said things I didn't mean and truly regret, and not that it is any excuse, I never thought you'd hear. You are not just a checkbox on a list.' I moved to the next photo realising it said something different.

'You caught my eye early and have held it ever since. You are so unique and carefree and I wish I could be more like you. Tell me your secrets; I've already told you some of mine.'

'These past few months have been spectacular and I hope that I haven't totally ruined thing with you. I don't want us to end and I want everyone here at school to know it,' the third poster read. The fourth only had a few words. The first three photos had made my heart race, the butterflies in my stomach to take flight, and my face to flush red like a strawberry. It was probably the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me. The forth poster just confused me, and I turned to Hinata to pick her brain about it.

"'So will you?'?" I asked, reading the question on the forth poster. Hinata shrugged in response, totally unhelpfully, and I turned back to look at the poster for more clues. As I did, I caught sight of Sasuke making his way through the crowd to me. I froze as my brain became overwhelmed by all the emotions I was experiencing.

Sasuke walked right up to me, a hesitant, almost uncertain, smile on his face. I returned his smile, feeling unsure about what was happening. Sasuke put his arms around me, pulling me close. I was too stunned to fight against it, but I also didn't want to. Sasuke's words, plastered over and over again throughout the school for the whole student body to see had extinguished a lot of my anger.

 _Not to mention the fact that I looked damn good in his pictures of me. Sasuke is quite the photographer!_

"Sakura," he said, his tone low and husky. It was so sensual that I nearly felt my knees go. Luckily, Sasuke had his arms around me, giving me support. "I am so very sorry about what I said and how I hurt you. I get your little act of revenge at the tournament; it was only fair and maybe not fair enough. I will be trying to make it up to you for the rest of my days. I hope you can forgive me and, do me the pleasure of answering my poster question. So, will you be my girlfriend?"

Sasuke had been talking low, quietly, so only I could hear, or so I thought. As soon as he asked the question, one I was sure he'd never asked any girl before, the whole gathered crowd cheered and began excitedly talking.

 _OMG! OMG! He wants me to be his girlfriend! Uchiha Sasuke does not have 'girlfriends.' Say something quick before he takes it back or something! Come on Sakura!_

"Yes," I manage to get out breathlessly. I try to repress the image of me being a bride-to-be after accepting a proposal as Sasuke pulled me in close and twirled me around.

 _Who would have ever thought that the invisible, anonymous girl would end up as the girlfriend of the most popular boy in school?_

* * *

I was floating as Hinata and I entered the audio-visual lab. The two of us were excitedly chattering about what had just happened and weren't paying attention to the other two girls already there. However, when neither joined our conversation, both Hinata and I stopped and turned to see what was going on with Ino and Tenten.

The blonde, who I noticed first, looked absolutely livid. "Ino, are you okay?" I asked tentatively, worried that I would be poking a sleeping bear, but also concerned for my friends' well being.

"So, you're his girlfriend now?" Ino seethed. Instantly, I regretted asking. "How is that fucking fair! I mean, I'm the head cheerleader! I'm the most popular girl in school! I'm the best looking with the best body! I should be with Sasuke! Not this fucking looser wannabe! You're only with him because of what we made you! If Sasuke knew the real, pathetic you he wouldn't have given you a second glance! You fucking bitch!" Ino then stormed out of the room, slamming extremely hard into my should as she said it.

I was absolutely stunned by her outburst, and turned to Tenten for some sort of support or explanation. I found neither. Tenten stared at me with a stony expression. She was all business in that moment.

"Are you still in, Sakura?" she asked.

"Am – I – what? Why are you asking?" I sputtered. Hinata seemed just as confused by all of this.

"Are you still in with breaking Sasuke's heart. The same with you Hinata; are you still in? You two walked in here all giggly and giddy. It's plain on your face that, despite what you know about Sasuke and what you saw and heard with your own eyes and ears, you are actually falling for him. And Hinata, you seem far too pleased about it.

"If you've gotten attached, I don't know if I can trust you. So, I'll ask again. Are you both still in or are you out?" the brunette levelled Hinata and me with such an intense glare that I wasn't sure what to do. I froze.

* * *

 _Okay. That was one hell of a rollercoaster ride. I think I need a little break…_

* * *

 _To be continued…_


	21. Chapter 20: Regrets

**-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own any recognizable content_

 **-Chapter Twenty-**

 **-Regrets-**

 _So, Sasuke was now my boyfriend. But it came at the cost of Ino and Tenten as friends. Ino was still way too into Sasuke and Tenten was way too into her plan._

* * *

I stood out front of the school, the warmth from the sun making me feel only a tiny bit better. I still felt like I was going to be sick to my stomach and like I couldn't catch my breath. So much had happened in such a short span of time that I couldn't seem to find my equilibrium.

After Tenten had taken her shots at me she'd waited all of 10 seconds for me to disagree, rebuff her. I froze and she, thinking that I'd betrayed her, stormed out of the room. Hinata and I were left standing in the middle of all the technology, gobsmacked. Only one thought was running through my mind, and that was air.

I needed air and all of the yelling seemed to have sapped it completely from the room. I desperately need out. Now. I ran from the building, pushing passed people quizzically staring at me.

 _They were probably thinking that I should be deliriously happy and yet clearly, I wasn't. Sorry guys, my life is a little more complicated._

I didn't stop running until I felt the cool fresh breeze outside the school. Then I inhaled deeply and doubled over as pain and anxiety racked my body.

 _This is all too much. I am invisible girl. I keep to the shadows. I'm not supposed to date popular boys and get in to terrible fights with supposed friends. All too much!_

"Hey, Sakura! Are you okay?" Hinata came running out after me. She caught up to me, hyperventilating with my hands on my knees and began rubbing comforting circles on my back. Her caring ministrations slowly started making me feel better and I eventually managed to stand up straight.

"I'm fine. Minor panic attack. I can breathe now. I'm going to be okay. Thanks," I managed to speak after a few more minutes. I took another deep, steadying breath before speaking again. "You were really helpful just then, and you've been a truly excellent friend through all of this craziness. It's really meant a lot to me. Thank you, truly.

"But I think what I really need right now is some alone time, to think through everything that has happened. And to think through all the things that are going to happen. I'll call you later, okay?" Hinata nodded in understanding; she then turned on her heel and headed back into the school. I waited a beat, then popped in my headphones and headed home.

I picked the perfect melancholy song that matched my messed up, confused mood. It pumped loudly through my ears and acted as a mental pallet cleanser. If I was going to do some serious thinking, I needed a clean slate.

 _Man, music is like the best thing in the world. I don't even want to know what life would be like without it. Nope. Not going there._

I walked into my house just as the song ended ( _though I needed a few repeats to get home first),_ and I pulled my earbuds out as I walked through the front door. I could hear the soft sounds of movement from further inside the house. It meant that my mom was home.

What I'd told Hinata about needing time to think alone was true, but something inside me compelled me to go search for my mom in that moment. I slowly moved through the house, a little apprehensive about what I would find, but still desperately needing my mom in that moment.

 _Whenever my mom came back from one of her alcohol- and sex-fuelled benders she was usually in one of two frames of mind. The first was intense anger over the fact that she'd just been dumped, the second was sad for the same reason. The anger always led to sadness, but the time it took differed from dumping to dumping._

I walked into the kitchen and saw the strangest sight ever. Sitting on an elegant serving dish on the counter was an entire container of frosting, lovingly and carefully slathered on a red velvet cake.

"Mom?" I called out, suddenly worried, "there's frosting on the counter and there's cake under it!" My mom would eat her weight in frosting after a break up, but never with an actual cake. I had no idea what was going on, nor how I would deal with it.

As I stared worriedly at the cake, my mom entered our kitchen. For once, she wasn't wearing tight, revealing clothes, but a baggy college sweater and leggings. All I could do was stare at yet another destruction of my sense of reality.

"Are you okay, Sakura?" my mom asked, as worried about me as I was about her.

"Am I okay? I should be asking you that! You're covered up and- and- baking cakes!" I motioned to the cake like she may not have been aware of its existence in our normally cake free house.

My mother chuckled mirthfully at my words. "I am better than okay. It took a while, a lot longer than it should have, but I've finally gotten to a good, healthy, wholesome point in my life, Sakura. I was with this most recent guy, trapped in the middle of my typical cycle, when your words finally sunk in.

"I was not a good mom and not a good role model for you. I'd let my need to be with men consume my life and I treated you terribly because of it. I'm so sorry for everything, Sakura, and I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you.

"And, to show you that I mean business, _I_ dumped this latest boy and have decided to implement a self-induced celibacy pact. There will be no more men in my life until I have worked on myself to the point where I can be in a healthy relationship."

I could hardly believe the words that were coming out of my mother's mouth, but the frosted cake and the normal mom clothes made very strong, persuasive pieces of evidence.

 _Maybe she is actually trying to be a mom. Maybe she means it. And if she means it, maybe we can have a normal mother-daughter relationship. Maybe I can tell her things, confide in her._

"Mom," I finally spoke, my voice small. "Sasuke asked me to be his girlfriend. Ino and Tenten found out and both got really mad at me. Ino was crazy jealous, said she should be the one who is Sasuke's girlfriend and the only reason he even likes me is because of what they did to me, who they turned my in to." My voice hitched as I spoke. My mom came around from the counter and hugged me tight.

"Sakura, those girls may have helped you, given you tips on how to act and what to wear, but if those girls were really responsible for everything with Sasuke, you have to ask yourself, why are you the one he asked to be his girlfriend. If all you are around Sasuke is the girl they made you, why didn't he ask one of them? There is something special about you that Sasuke sees, obviously.

"Aside from that, I think you need to ask yourself do you really want to be this boy's girlfriend. He's a cheater, a player. He only seems to care about himself. Wasn't that what brought you girls together in the first place? Trying to bring him down, teach him a lesson to try and instil some humanity in him. Is he really good enough for you?"

As she spoke, she pulled away from me so she could look me in the eye but kept her hands on my shoulders. We were still connected.

 _Okay, that was an insightful and level-headed question and now I've got more thinking to do._

"I – I don't know. I mean, I confronted him about some of his behaviour and he apologized publicly, before he asked me to be his girlfriend. The whole school basically heard him. Plus, he's never asked a girl to be his girlfriend, and especially not publicly; he isn't hiding anything this time, unlike all his past relationships." I felt a little strange justifying it, but my mom seemed to genuinely take in what I was saying. She nodded, pulled me into another tight hug, and then released me.

 _I left my mom even more confused and in desperate need of some alone thinking time._

* * *

 _Should I date Sasuke? Should I go through with the girls plan? What should I do? What should I do?_

* * *

 _To be continued…_


	22. Chapter 21: Until Friday

**-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own any recognizable content_

 **-Chapter Twenty-One-**

 **-Until Friday-**

 _My life got flipped, turned upside down, but instead of moving to Bel Air, I lost two people I thought were friends, got a boyfriend, and found out my mom was giving up on men and focusing on herself. Can my life get any crazier? Did I just jinx it all?_

* * *

The week following the big kaboom, as Hinata and I were now affectionately calling it (the day Sasuke asked me to be his girlfriend and Ino and Tenten got really extremely mad at me) was low key. I tried really hard to avoid all sources of drama. I didn't have any classes with either Ino or Tenten so I didn't really see them throughout the day. I stopped going to cheer practice; though I was pretty sure Ino had most likely already kicked me off.

By avoiding them, I was taking the coward's way out. I was letting both Ino and Tenten know that I'd chosen being with Sasuke over destroying him. All without facing the inevitable confrontation that would have been waiting for me. Eventually, I told myself, I would talk to the two of them, explain myself and see if I could repair the awfulness between us. But that was for a later date when tempers weren't so high.

The only person I didn't avoid, though I didn't go out of my way to see him, was Sasuke. I wanted to be with Sasuke, to hold his hands, to kiss him, to feel his strong arms wrap around me. However, Ino and Tenten were angry, upset, still heartbroken, and I didn't want to rub my happiness in their faces.

Sasuke met me at my locker and walked me to class each day of the week. He pulled me into stairwells and secluded corners to kiss me, make out a little. It was all sweet, typical boyfriend-girlfriend type stuff.

It was all going pretty well, considering. That is, until Friday.

Friday was the last day of school before the Saturday Winter Formal. Despite the fact that the posters had been up around the school for about a month proclaiming all the important details, like the date, I forgot all about it.

Originally, our plan was to ruin Sasuke at the Formal, to have me publically break up with him and announce all the bad, deceitful things Sasuke had ever done to womankind. If we'd still been working on our plan, I should have already secured Sasuke as my date. However, with the plan imploding, I'd totally forgotten about it; I hadn't even worried that Sasuke hadn't asked me to the Formal.

 _I was not into school dances. After that one attempt where I'd even bought a dress, I had avoided dances at all costs. It was easy when I was invisible. So, I was not used to the pre-dance ritual. Should he have asked me already? Was it just assumed, as we were officially dating, that we would be going together?  
_

 _I didn't have any of those concerns until Hinata caught up with me Friday morning…_

"Sakura!" she called, her tone chipper. I waited for her on the sidewalk instead of continuing on up to the school's front doors. "Do you want to get ready at my house tomorrow? I've got basically every make up product under the sun!"

"What's tomorrow?" I asked, only partially focusing on Hinata as I rearranged the books in my hand for efficient exchange at my locker. It took me several seconds to realise that Hinata had stopped walking while I continued on. When I did, I sort of comically whipped my head around to locate her and then awkwardly jogged back to her side.

Her mouth was agape and I was worried she was having some sort of stroke. "Are you okay? Should I take you to the nurse? Call 911? Try and lift your hands above your head or something!"

 _I was panicking, but I'd never seen Hinata like that. It was quite distressing._

"What's tomorrow? Did you seriously ask that?" she asked before adding, "Oh, I'm fine! Stop fretting!" I'd begun feeling her head for a fever and her wrist for a pulse and my concern was obviously not fully appreciated in that moment. Once I was no longer worrying over her, Hinata walked over to a column plastered with posters and took one down.

"Tomorrow is Winter Formal, and don't say you aren't going or anything like that. Even if Sasuke hasn't asked you yet, you should still go with me! We need a girls' night!" Hinata spoke, stomping back to me.

"Oh. Right. Yeah. Sorry. Totally slipped my mind. Of course I'll go," I responded, feeling a little caught off guard by the information Hinata had just supplied me with.

"Of course, I may need to find someone else to go with me," Hinata spoke, nodding her chin at something behind me. I turned slowly and saw Sasuke walking towards me, a knowing smirk on his face.

"Hello, beautiful," he said, his voice low and silky. He wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me in close and kissing my head. "Hinata," he spoke, a little sheepishly once he noticed her presence.

"Let me know about things," Hinata said to me before turning to leave Sasuke and I alone.

"What things?" Sasuke asked, genuine curiosity in his voice.

"Hinata and I were just talking about the dance and who we'd be going with," I responded, suddenly feeling awkward.

 _How do you gracefully mention to your boyfriend that he has failed to ask you to a dance but that you aren't mad about it because you totally forgot about it yourself?_

"Yeah, about that," Sasuke cut in. With the hand that was not wrapped around my hips, he mussed his hair in an awkward fashion. "This may surprise you, but I've never had an actual girlfriend. I've dated, quite a fair amount, but never anything serious. I'm a little out of my depth with all this, so I wasn't really sure if I should ask you to the dance or not…"

Sasuke trailed off and looked at me expectantly. "Honestly, I forgot all about it until a few minutes ago when Hinata brought it up." My obliviousness, and lack of anger, seemed to work as a salve for Sasuke's awkwardness. At my words, he quickly spun me around to face him and kissed me passionately when I stopped.

"Well, if we're both terrible at this relationship thing, then I say all is forgiven. So, with a clean slate, I will ask you, will you, Sakura, go to the Winter Formal with me?"

* * *

I quickly ran through the hallways looking for Hinata. I'd been floating only seconds before when a thought struck me like a bolt out of the blue.

 _I don't have a dress!_

Now, panicky, I was hoping the always-collected Hinata would have an answer for me. I just had to find her before the bell rang and I got my first and only tardy. She wasn't at her locker and I was pretty sure she had English first period on Friday. I just didn't know which room she had it in.

I was rushing down the English hallway, inconspicuously looking into each classroom I passed, or at least what I thought was inconspicuously. Apparently, some one noticed my strange, furtive behaviour.

"Sakura?" a voice asked behind me, startling me. I turned and saw a confused looking Tenten standing only feet from me. It was the closest I'd been to the girl in days and I found myself feeling extremely self-conscious, anxious, and upset.

"Hello, Tenten. You haven't seen Hinata by chance, have you?" I asked, trying to sound as causal and nonchalant as possible.

"No, I haven't, but, while I have you here, I thought I'd fill you in on the fact that I will still be going ahead with our plans for tomorrow as promised. You can warn Sasuke if you want, but I hope your loyalty still means something." Tenten responded before walking away.

 _Well shit!_

* * *

I tried texting Sasuke all day, hoping that if he decided not to go that Tenten wouldn't be able to humiliate him and break his heart. However, I went about it far too subtly. I explained that I didn't have a dress nor time to buy a proper one, but Sasuke just set up an appointment at a fancy dress maker that would do a rush order for me because she was a family friend of the Uchihas. Then, I said that I suddenly wasn't feeling well. At lunch, Sasuke bought my soup and loaded me up with unnecessary tissues and then pleaded with me to at least go for one dance.

His earnestness and clear desire to go to the dance made me give up on that tactic. But I still needed to do something about Tenten.

 _I guess I could tell him the truth. It would probably hurt both of us, but if I did it before Tenten executed her plan, I might save him some of the possible humiliation._

* * *

 _Gah! How did I get myself into this craziness?_

* * *

 _To be continued…_


	23. Chapter 22: Dancing Queen

**-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own any recognizable content._

 **-Chapter Twenty Two-**

 **-Dancing Queen-**

* * *

 _Tenten was still going to tear down Sasuke. It was now or never that I come clean to him about everything._

* * *

I put off telling Sasuke the truth. He seemed to want so badly to go to the dance that I didn't have the heart to tell him everything before the Formal started. I figured I'd give him the one dance I'd promised and then potentially break his heart. It seemed like the only nice thing to do.

So, with my plan in place, I headed over to Hinata's to start getting ready. I'd eventually found her and relayed my dress problem. She didn't even bat an eyelash, telling me she had the perfect dress for me in her closet. Her dad was crazy rich so her closet was essentially a shopping mall.

When I got to her house, she met me at the door with the perfect dress, a light blue, almost white, floor length evening gown. It was simple yet elegant, everything I could have hoped for in a Winter Formal dress.

"It's … amazing, Hinata. Thank you! I will not let anything happen to it, I promise," I said in awe of what she'd produced for me.

"You can keep it. It doesn't fit me. My dad made his assistant get it for a Christmas part and the assistant keeps forgetting the fact that I am well-endowed." Hinata handed me the dress then spun on her heel and headed into her house farther. I followed along, still staring down at the absolutely perfect dress.

 _Whatever happened, this was sure to be a night to remember._

* * *

 _So, having never been to a dance, all my expectations came from Hollywood movies, though a little sceptically. What I experienced was beyond my greatest imaginings._

Sasuke arrived to pick me up in a well-cut suit and a shinny limo. He stood at the door as Hinata and I descended her front steps and walkway, an extremely sexy smile on his face. It took a lot of self-restraint not to jump on him and stick my tongue down his throat. Hinata's presence, and the suspected presence of some of Sasuke's friends in the limo, helped me reign in my Freudian instincts.

"You look stunning," Sasuke whispered in my ear as he helped me into the car. A hot, red blush crossed my face, but luckily the inside of the limo was dark enough that no one noticed. I quickly found an empty seat a little away from Sasuke's friends and smiled warmly at Naruto, the only one of the boys I knew to any degree and ignored the others.

Moments later, Hinata followed me in and sat right beside Naruto, leaving a space between us for Sasuke. I'd apologised to Hinata after Sasuke had asked me to be his date to the Formal, but she was nonplused; Hinata was completely content to go stag and maybe find a date there. To make up for me feeling like a rotten friend, I'd invited her to join Sasuke and I in our limo, and she'd readily accepted.

 _Whatever hold ups Tenten and Ino still had in regard to Sasuke, Hinata had obviously gotten over them. They definitely weren't friends, most of their interactions were what I would describe as icy, but they weren't hostile or anything like that._

We talked rowdily in the limo on the way to the dance, I was almost positive that the other boys in the limo were imbibing in something I was pretty sure was whiskey. Hinata, Sasuke, and I avoided it, which made me happy that Sasuke didn't want to act like a drunken frat boy.

The Formal, much to my surprise, was not being held in the school gym like I was used to seeing in teen movies. Instead, with a budget I wasn't sure how a public school managed to have, the school had rented a grand ballroom in a hotel. They hadn't rented any rooms, not liking the implications, and had sent out a lot of warnings and noticed to the student body that the school and the teachers would not condone students renting their own rooms. That being said, the boys in our limo had clearly planned to do just that.

I purposefully didn't look at Sasuke during the whole conversation around it. I didn't want to imply that I hoped he had not made similar plans, nor did I want him to think that I wanted him to make such plans. Not sure how to avoid either land mine while continuing to interact with him, I chose to stare out the window of the limo.

Thankfully, only a few quick minutes after the hotel room conversation began, the limo pulled up in front of the fancy, elegant hotel. The slightly drunk, rowdy boys, as well as Hinata, Naruto, Sasuke, and I pilled out of the limo, some more gracefully than others. I got my first glimpse of the hotel in those minutes and I realised for the first time that night, but definitely not the last, that my Hollywood-but-less expectations for the night were incorrect. The Winter Formal was more of the Hollywood-but-way-way-more variety.

The grand hall that the school had rented out was decorated like it was in a magazine spread, or on a perfect pinterest board. In essence, it was absolute flawlessness, the ideal image of a winter wonderland without all the cold and actual snow that it would normally entail. Everything was frosted and in various shades of white, blue, and silver. Across the hall, standing on a small stage and acting very much like they were playing to a large arena full of screaming fans, was a popular rock/ pop bank whose name was momentarily escaping me. I couldn't believe the school had managed to get someone properly famous to play our little school dance.

 _This school really goes all out!_

Sasuke quickly pulled me onto the dance floor and began easily and effortlessly spinning me around. He'd either done this a million times before or had taken years of classes. He had an amazing sense of rhythm and timing, and he moved with a grace akin to Fred Astaire. His confidence made me feel confident.

Hinata and Naruto quickly joined us and, before long, the dance floor was filled with swaying and gyrating bodied. I have no idea how long we were out on the floor for, or whom exactly I danced with as I moved from one circle of people to the next. My plan to have one dance then pull Sasuke aside and tell him everything had completely escaped from my mind as I twirled around.

After a while, the band declared they were taking a break. A peppy blonde, who I recognized as our school council president bounced up onto the stage, took the microphone from the lead singer and began making welcome speeches.

Sasuke, Hinata, Naruto, and I all made our way off the dance floor and towards the refreshment table. I was suddenly aware of just how famished and parched I was and I desperately needed to eat and drink something. I was so preoccupied by my baser needs that I totally missed the moment.

 _Is it bad that the day my life was irrevocably altered, the moment at which it happened, and I could no longer prevent it from changing, I was stuffing my face with fudgy brownies?_

"Hello, Sarutobi High!" the familiar voice of Tenten boomed out over the hall. Hinata and I both froze, and then slowly turned around. Tenten being on stage, a screen being lowered behind her, was definitely a bad sign and both Hinata and I recognized it.

"Hey, I think I need some air. Do you want to come with me?" I asked Sasuke, trying to pull him out of the hall before Tenten said any more. However, she kept speaking and her next words all but sealed my fate. Sasuke wasn't going anywhere.

"As I'm sure you're all fully aware, our amazing basketball team was once again victorious at the multi-county tournament a few weeks ago. They were led by the intrepid, amazing point guard, Uchiha Sasuke!" Tenten paused for the applause and cheers that quickly rose up at Sasuke's name and I knew there was no getting him out of the hall now.

"I've been busy talking to all the other team members since the win, and the overwhelming consensus was that the victory would not have been possible without you, Sasuke. So, I thought it was only fitting that we make a little tribute video in your honour!" Tenten then turned and, doing her best impression of Vanna White, showed off the screen.

As she waved, images of Sasuke playing basketball, action shots of him shooting baskets or dribbling down the court, appeared on the screen.

'Uchiha Sasuke. King' appeared in elegant script across the images before Tenten's voice began speaking on the video.

"You all know Uchiha Sasuke. He's the most popular boy in school. Good looks, great grades, amazing athletic abilities. All the guys want to be like him, and all the girls want to be with him." At her last statement, the images changed from Sasuke on the basketball court to Sasuke with a collection of different girls. There were candid's, taken without Sasuke's knowledge. He was flirting with some girls, had his arms around others, and was feeling up even more. There were even a few images of Sasuke with Hinata, Tenten, Ino, and myself.

"However, ladies, as of a few weeks ago, that dream of getting to be with Sasuke is looking less and less likely. It would appear that one lucky girl has stolen Sasuke's heart." Now the film showed stills and videos from my relationship with Sasuke. Me as a cheerleader, the two of us walking around the lake on our first date, us dancing at one of the many celebrations during the tournament, and finally stills and videos of Sasuke asking me to be his girlfriend. As if I knew exactly what was coming next, my body tightened.

"However, not everything is as it seems. Uchiha Sasuke is not the epitome of perfection, and Haruno Sakura is definitely not all that she seems." At Tenten's words I could feel Sasuke's eyes on me but I didn't look at him. The images on the screen were now shots of Tenten, Hinata, Ino, and I happily together, planning and plotting.

"See before there was Sakura, the great Uchiha Sasuke was dating Hyuuga Hinata, Yamanaka Ino, and me, Tenten. At the same time. And I'm sure this wasn't the first time he'd ever pulled such a stunt. But the three of us, with the help of Sakura, vowed that it would be the last. So, after breaking our hearts, we decided to get revenge. We took the new girl under our wings and made her into Sasuke's perfect girl.

"And now, Sasuke, that perfect girl has a few words for you." The screen temporarily went black before an image of a slightly surprised me sitting in the audio-visual lab at school appeared on the screen. With very little fanfare I began to speak.

"Babe. Uchiha Sasuke. You are not the one for me." The video ended with a montage of almost X-rated images of Sasuke with various girls from school. It was obvious that in each instance, the girl and Sasuke were more than friends.

Then the screen went black and all hell broke loose.

* * *

 _Fuck!_

* * *

 _To be continued…_


	24. Chapter 23: I'm Just So Sorry

**-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own any recognizable content_

 **-Chapter Twenty Three-**

 **-Girl Power-**

* * *

 _Tenten went through with our plan, revealed who Sasuke really was and my initial drive behind dating him. Then all hell broke loose._

* * *

"That's right, Sasuke. That girl on your arm, the one you so publically asked to be your girlfriend, is only going out with you because we made her do it. And the girl you are so into is also totally of our construction. We moulded her into your perfect girl!" Ino exclaimed. I wasn't sure if she and Tenten had gotten back together ( _unlikely seeing they bickered every time they were in close contact),_ or if Ino just tacked on to Tenten's presentation. As she spoke, Ino carefully picked her way through the crowd and made her way up on stage.

Tenten and Ino stood on the small stage, smugly looking down on the crowd. They obviously felt good about themselves and expected loud applause and cheering thanks for what they'd brought to light. However, after a beat where everything sunk in, the crowd revolted. They began shouting abuse at Ino and Tenten for daring to besmirch the good name of Uchiha Sasuke. Those around me began a similar attack, but because I was closer to them, they also lightly shoved me. Someone even dumped his or her drink on my head.

I stood there, stunned. As did Sasuke. For several seconds, neither one of us knew what to do. Then the punch dripped down onto the bare top of my foot. Everything clicked and I knew I couldn't stay in the outraged crowd or having punch on Hinata's expensive dress and me would be the least of my worries.

I turned and ran, leaving Sasuke, Hinata, Ino, Tenten, and a stunned crowd behind me.

* * *

 _As I ran, the terrible, awful things that people were screaming at me, and probably Tenten and Ino as well, finally filtered through me brain._

"You bitch!"

"How could you do that to Sasuke?"

"Uchiha Sasuke is a god! If he can handle multiple girls at one time, he deserves to have multiple girls!"

"You girls are just angry Sasuke ditched your fat asses! That's really why you're doing this!"

"You bitch!"

"Leave Sasuke alone!"

"I hope you die! Choke on your smug expressions and die!"

It was all terrible vitriol and I would have preferred to continue to block it out. It was also a little surprising that the people that were saying it were mostly girls trying to stand up for their image of whom Sasuke was and not willing to let anything change that.

This was not what I had wanted, or been expecting. Maybe it was me being naïve, but I had thought that us sharing our stories, the fact that Sasuke was sleazy enough to date three girls at the same time, combined with the pictures of Sasuke's flirting and feeling up a myriad of other girls, would be enough to expose him. I'd thought that Sasuke got away with the things he had because no one had been aware. Now, as people screamed at me, and Tenten and Ino, the victims ( _though that word wasn't really the right word),_ I realised they did know but chose to ignore it and look the other way.

I finally burst out into the cool, crisp night. It rarely got cold enough to snow, and that evening wasn't close to that cold, but the difference between inside and outside was stark and startling. It had been warm and sweaty inside, all those dancing, moving bodies packed into a small space, and going outside hit me like a slap across the face.

I looked around for a makeshift fortress of solitude to, for the umpteenth time in only a few weeks, figure out how my life had once again changed. I found one on a small bench just outside the door I'd come through and slumped down onto it. Burying my head in my hands, I let out an annoyed sigh.

 _Only a few weeks ago really, I was an invisible girl just trying to survive high school. Now, I was smack dab in the middle of an absolute shit show and really, as I sat there on that cold winter night, all I wanted was to go back, to be invisible once again._

Hinata found me first. She was probably only a few seconds behind me when I fled from the dance floor. She found me essentially inconsolable on the small, cold bench and wrapped me in a warm, comforting embrace.

 _Okay, maybe I don't want to be entirely invisible. I would not want to give Hinata up, even if it meant I wouldn't have had to hear the vitriol._

"I'm so sorry," Hinata was saying. She kept repeating those words over and over and rubbing comforting circles onto my back. I wasn't quite sure why she was apologizing, but I didn't bring it up right away. Instead, I just wanted to be comforted for a minute or two longer.

I finally looked up when I heard the door click open and closed. Standing over the absolute mess that was me, not looking all that better if I was being honest, was Tenten and Ino. Surprisingly, Ino, who I was sure was the one who was the maddest at me, spoke first.

"I am so sorry, Sakura. That is not what we wanted. I was so sure that once Sakura got his comeuppance that I would feel better, that Sasuke breaking up with me wouldn't hurt so much any more. I thought revenge would solve my problems, but it only made more. And I am really sorry that I dragged you down into all of this."

 _Was not expecting that. A humble, apologetic Ino. That is like seeing a dog walk on its hind legs. Awkward and a little uncomfortable._

"I'm so sorry too," Tenten spoke up before either Hinata and I could say anything. "I got all wrapped up in completing the plan, in follow through. We had started this thing, got the ball rolling, and I couldn't stand to see it stopped. I'd never not completed a task I'd started. That was focus, not what everyone else was feeling or would be feeling. I am so so sorry. I hope, Sakura, that you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

Both Tenten and Ino looked down at me, and also at Hinata who was still sitting beside me, providing me comfort and strength. Their expressions were sad, remorseful. They looked so pathetic, those two girls who were normally strong, self-assured, and confident. It was a little refreshing to see them brought low and begging little nobody me to forgive them. That, more than only other consideration, settled my mind.

"As long as you never do anything like this again, never plot to bring down another person, then I forgive you, both of you," I responded, looking up confidently at the two girls. Hearing my forgiveness, they collapsed down onto the bench with Hinata and me and the four of us all embraced each other and cried and laughed together.

 _As crappy as the last few weeks have been, and as different and at each other's throats as we were before, it felt so good to be back with my girls again. Oh how I'd missed the four of us…_

We sat on that bench in the cool winter air for what felt like an hour, but was probably not a lot more than 20 minutes. Finally, the cold started affecting us, started cutting through our dresses and into our bones. The coldness also cleared my mind. I had my girls back, but there was a fifth person involved in all of this who needed an explanation and an apology.

The four of us, Ino, Hinata, Tenten, and I, all stood slowly and quickly hurried back into the hotel. Ino, Hinata, and Tenten were busy arranging how we would leave the dance, because none of us wanted to stay there any longer than we had too. I, however, quickly, separated from the group, explaining that I needed to go find Sasuke and talk to him about everything.

* * *

 _Please don't still be in the dance. Please don't still be in the dance. Please don't still be in the dance._

Those thoughts were my internal (and eternal it felt like) mantra as I quickly searched the hotel for Sasuke. I really didn't want to have to go back and face all those super judgey people.

 _Gah! How did my life end up here?_

I searched for several minutes, purposefully avoiding the dance hall and the thumping, pounding beats emanating from within it. If I couldn't find Sasuke without going in there, I would call it a night and try and apologize tomorrow. What would one extra day do? I was pretty sure there was no longer a relationship to save, and anyway that wasn't why I wanted to apologize to Sasuke anyway.

Luckily, I didn't have to worry about any of that in anything but a hypothetical context. After maybe twenty minutes, I found Sasuke alone in the hotel's closed, and therefore quiet, restaurant. As I approached him, sitting alone at a table by the window, I took in all of the Sasuke that I was observing.

Mostly, I felt, he looked tired. He hung his head and his shoulders were hunched and up high near his ears. He had an elbow on the table and rested his drooping chin on his hand, as if that was the only thing keeping his head from crashing down onto the table. I couldn't see his face yet, but the body language I could didn't paint a very good image.

"Sasuke," I spoke quietly into the silence. I didn't want to startle him by calling out loudly, but I also couldn't physically speak any louder. It was like the image of this sad, tired, potentially broken man had stolen my voice. "I'm sorry," I added lamely when he didn't respond to my call.

Still, Sasuke didn't respond. I walked through the restaurant and around in front of Sasuke. His expression was blank, like he was too tried to even emote. I wasn't sure if he was aware of my presence, but I figured, since I was there, I might as well accomplish what I'd set out to do.

"I am really, truly, sorry, Sasuke." I began, sitting down in a chair across from Sasuke. "I want you to know that, despite what you saw on that film, I really do have feelings for you, for whatever that's worth.

"When all of this started. I didn't know you from Adam. Tenten, Hinata, and Ino all sort of discovered your secret in my presence and I'd dealt with guys like you, who were dishonest and womanizers, because my mom dated quite a few of them. So, they were heartbroken and I had knowledge, and we decided to work together to make you feel as bad as they did.

"They moulded and coached me so that I would be the perfect girl for you. They dressed me in the right clothes, told me what to say and not to say to draw you in, how to play hard to get. They orchestrated a lot of our early relationship.

"I went along with it because I finally had people I could hang out with, spend evenings and weekends with. Basically, it was the first time I had real, true friends. Then I got to know you, and you opened up to me on your boat. I didn't want to be a part of it any more; I was developing feelings for you and I didn't want to hurt you. Not any more.

"So, Tenten sent Neji in to the boy's locker room to record what you said, hoping you'd act like a cow and I would change my mind. Well, it worked; I was once again fully on the side of the girls. I got back at you at the tournament, but then you apologized for everything and I was back on your side.

"It was a really confusing time and I ended up getting in a crazy terrible fight with Ino and Tenten, but I thought everything was over. I thought we could go on being happy together, and that the girls would eventually get over everything and forget their plan. I really was happy and on cloud nine, being with you. I want you to know that. Honestly."

I stared Sasuke down, trying to gauge whether or not he was hearing what I was saying and, if so, he was believing it. He was still staring blankly in my direction but I was pretty sure he wasn't actually looking at me. Figuring that waiting around for Sasuke to respond would be useless, I stood to leave.

I was almost outside the restaurant before Sasuke finally spoke. "You can tell the girls they were successful with their plan." His voice was so quiet that I almost didn't hear it, but I did and my heart broke right along with his.

* * *

 _We'd done it. We'd gotten our revenge, our sweet revenge, but at what cost?_

* * *

 _To be continued…_


	25. Epilogue: Revenge is Sweeter

**-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own any recognizable content._

 **-Epilogue-**

 **-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-**

 _Winter formal was on a Saturday. There were three more days of school the week after and then we were on break. I genuinely felt like crap, for a myriad of reasons, and I convinced my mom to let me stay home that week._

 _So, I had several days where all I could do was stay in bed and think; process the past few months of my life, take stock of what had changed and what hadn't. I started with myself._

I rolled over in bed and sat up. I had a full-length mirror hanging on my wardrobe directly across from my bed. I looked pretty terrible. My make-up, which I hadn't bothered to take off after the dance, was smudged and smeared. My dark eyeliner mixed with the dark circles under my eyes, from a recent bout of insomnia, and made me look remarkably like a racoon. My hair, which I hadn't combed in a few days was knotted and stuck up at odd angles.

I flung myself back down on my bed, not wanting to see myself as a confused, heartbroken slob any longer.

 _Aside from my appearance, I took stock of my personality. I had been, for so many years, the invisible girl. No one would ever pick me out of a crowd. Then someone had. Ino, Hinata, and Tenten noticed me and altered my entire sense of self. I was no longer invisible._

I lay in bed, not even checking my phone. What had once been my solace, my sole source of communication and human interaction had turned against me. My Instagram, which contained pictures of books and food, nothing terribly controversial, had been filled with snake comments. I'd voluntarily suspended my twitter because the vitriol was soul crushing. I'd even had to turn on my do not disturb and blocked more numbers than I could count as people somehow got my cellphone number.

 _But did I regret any of it? Did I regret stepping out of the shadows, where I was safe and anonymous? Did I hate all this negative attention? That last one was an easy yes, but did that negate everything else? I'd been on one crazy adventure, had experiences that I'd never had before and would probably never have again, and despite our occasional friction, I'd made some great friends._

"Look, you have probably guessed what all the school gossip is, so I won't fill you in on that," Ino said rather awkwardly, perched on the end of my bed. It was Monday, the first day back at school after the disastrous Winter Formal, and the three girls had come over to give me my missed work and fill me in on the latest goings-on at school.

It was actually fairly sweet because none of the girls were in the same class as me. So it wasn't like they could just grab an extra copy of the assignments; they actually had to go out of their way to collect my missed work.

"Thank you guys for all of this, really. I just couldn't face – everything," I said, smiling as warmly as I could at the girls.

"It was no problem, really," Tenten spoke, "especially since Hinata got her flirt on with your lab partner." Tenten then ribbed the raven-haired girl playfully. Hinata blushed bright red and buried her head in her hands.

 _Despite our differences, those girls made all the other crap worth it. For the first time in my entire life, basically, I had friends. So no, I didn't regret that part._

 _And my mom had turned her life around, in some small part I think, because of me. Either because she saw me going down a similar path as she was and didn't want her fate to be mine or because she saw her younger, supposedly less mature daughter standing up for her. Either way, my mom was eating far more frosting on cakes and less straight from the spoon._

 _What I did regret was Sasuke and what we'd done to him. He may have started off as a terrible person. In the end though, at least to me, he was just a flawed, immature boy. He was a pig, a cow, a myriad other names, but he was also sweet and hurting and damaged._

 _I just hope we hadn't done anything irreparable…_

* * *

 _It wasn't until January, after winter break, that I finally returned to school and saw exactly what I'd done…_

The girls and I decided that a united front, that walking in to school together on Monday after the break, would be the best way to go about it all. So, Hinata, Ino, Tenten, and I met at my house, as it was closest to school, and walked the two blocks together, light chatter passing between us. When we arrived in front of the school, we linked our arms and walked into the building with our heads held high.

As we moved through the hall, stopping at each person's locker and then moving on to the next, the students we passed turned and looked at us; they whispered behind their hands and stared us down, but no one came up to us. Being with friends, it was easier to withstand the staring and whispering. I knew that, no matter what those people said, I would have people who supported me.

Unfortunately, because none of us had class together, we did eventually have to split up. With a meaningful look at each other that expressed our desire for each other to stay strong, we each went our separate ways to our separate classes. Hopefully, if I kept my head down, a well-practiced skill of mine, I wouldn't be noticed too much. For once, I actually wanted to be invisible.

Luckily, it seemed like the three days I didn't go to school and the two-week break had dampened people's anger and outrage. People whispered, but they'd been doing that around me for months, almost since I'd arrived at this school. It was almost like a comforting background noise.

I made it through most of the day without incident. I ate lunch with the girls and the classes were too well structured for anything besides learning to happen. I was floating as I walked towards my chemistry class, having lasted almost an entire day.

Then, the world came crashing down on me, or rather, I came crashing down on the world.

Apparently, I didn't pay attention to where I was going as I floated and I'd run into a brick wall, or a man resembling a brick wall. Then I'd ended up sprawled on the floor.

"Sakura, are you okay?" Sasuke's voice asked me. I must have hit my head when I'd fallen because everything was swimming slightly.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Sorry about running in to you and everything." I responded, trying not to look Sasuke in the eye. This was not something I needed today.

"Don't worry about it," Sasuke said, his tone unsure and a little awkward. "I just want to make sure you're fine." Sasuke then extended his hand and he helped me up. Once I was standing, he didn't immediately let go of my hand. Instead, he used it to hold me close and look into my eyes.

I was pretty sure he was checking to see if I'd had a concussion or something, but it felt extremely intimate. I couldn't help but blush as we stood there and, as my face reddened, a shimmering warmth spread through Sasuke's eyes. It was only a moment and then he dropped my hands, but it was still a very powerful moment.

* * *

 _Maybe I haven't totally messed things up…_

* * *

 _The End_


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